An open letter about my son, Gary McKinnon, to Theresa May and David Cameron
guardian.co.uk | Sep 7th 2012 
Dear Theresa and David,
As you are aware, my son Gary McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, was arrested in London in March 2002 for computer misuse and has now been under virtual house arrest for over 10 years while fighting extradition to the US.
People find it hard to believe that this can be happening in Britain in the year 2012, but it is.
Gary was arrested more than 10 years ago for allegedly hacking into Nasa and Pentagon computers from his bedroom in London while searching for evidence of UFOs and free energy that Gary believed was being suppressed by the US government. It's true that Gary left cheeky cyber notes telling the US that their security was virtually nonexistent and that he'd continue disrupting by leaving cybernotes until someone at the top listened to him and installed passwords and firewalls that should have been there in the first place to protect their systems, but weren't.
To his detriment Gary also left a cyber note saying that American foreign policy was akin to state-sponsored terrorism. Had this been scrawled on a wall few would have noticed and to a young man with Asperger's syndrome, telling the truth as he saw it was as natural as getting out of bed in the morning. However Gary had now not only embarrassed the US by highlighting their lack of any basic security, but he had angered them.
No one, but especially someone with Asperger's, could ever have realised the horrendous consequences that would arise from a country whose first amendment is one protecting free speech. Or that an extradition treaty with America, yet to be written, could allow him (without any evidence being presented to a British court) to be forcibly removed from his home, his family and all that he has ever known, to be taken to a foreign land where he could be incarcerated in a foreign prison for up to 60 years. All for a crime that according to the Hi-Tech Crime Unit in 2002, would have attracted a sentence of six months community service in Britain.
My son has now been under arrest for longer than any British citizen ever has. He hasn't raped anyone, he hasn't murdered anyone, so can't understand how this can be happening to him, as no matter how much anyone may choose to exaggerate his crime, the fact is that his crime was tapping on a keyboard in his bedroom in north London in search of information on aliens from outer space.
Gary rarely ever leaves his home as he is traumatised to the core. A boy who cycled, swam, composed music and sang, now sits in the dark with his cats and never wants to see or speak to anyone.
He has no life, and is broken, like a wounded animal with no outlet and no hope, seeing only the dark side and the cruelty that exists in the world.
My only child has lost 10 years of his youth and has aged and died before my eyes.
Ten years of being in a constant state of fear while fighting to stop my son Gary being taken from his home and family has made the days, months and years indistinguishable from each other, as hopes raised to the heavens come crashing down to Earth on a regular basis.
We were elated when in a bid to have Gary tried in the UK, you, our prime minister, raised Gary's case with President Obama during your first televised joint press conference in America in 2010. When President Obama said an appropriate solution would be found, we were moved to tears. We waited and waited and waited, but the months passed and nothing happened.
We were again ecstatic when you raised Gary's case with President Obama for a second time during your second joint press conference in London in 2011, but in spite of President Obama stating that it was a British decision that America would respect and despite great expectations from all who heard it, and constantly being congratulated by strangers in the street, nothing happened.
When Gary's MP David Burrowes asked the American ambassador why the US was still pursuing Gary, his response was: "He mocked us".
I wrote to the Queen during her diamond jubilee to ask her to bestow the gift of mercy on my son who was arrested before even her golden jubilee 10 years previously, but in a response from Buckingham Palace, it seems only our government is privy to the Queen's powers which she herself is unable to use.
I constantly write letters in the hope that the pen really is mightier than the sword and that I can reach souls of courage and compassion in the heart of our government, who can put an end to this decade of mental torture.
Whether the rain falls or the sun shines means little anymore, as we live in this unreal world where Gary sits in the dark and I spend each day and night until the early hours of the morning working on trying to save my son from virtual death. I no longer have any other conversation as I'm unable to escape from this mental imprisonment, grounded in fear.
I am hoping with all my heart that Theresa May our home secretary, who I believe is a strong woman, will have in her heart the courage and compassion that will allow her to do what is right and to give my son his life back.I pray that one day I will see the light return to my son's eyes and that this seemingly never-ending torture will soon come to an end.
If our government is afraid to make a right and just decision for fear of upsetting our friends, then something is wrong with that friendship which must be put right, or we as a nation are allowing our people to be enslaved, making us unable to command respect that by its very nature has to be earned.
We are now at the final hurdle and it takes strength and courage to make that final jump, but jump it we must, if we are to emerge with dignity and self respect.
Our government's first duty is to protect British citizens, including our most vulnerable. Please have the strength to do what is right and to give my son his life back.
With deepest respect,
Janis Sharp
• This article was amended on 7 September 2012. It originally stated that the Crown Prosecution Service had said in 2002 that a crime like Gary McKinnon's would have attracted a sentence of six months community service in Britain. It was actually the Hi-Tech Crime Unit that made that assessment. This has now been corrected
Original Page: http://m.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/07/open-letter-gary-mckinnon?cat=commentisfree&type=article
Gary McKinnon Faces Extradition to the US – and has stood his own personal trial for the last 10 years – as has his family, all of which have been tirelessly campaigning for the duration. Gary suffers from Autism, and as a result of the ten year torment he now also suffers from clinical severe depression and has been a suicide risk many times of recent years.
Gary McKinnon (born 10 February 1966) is a Scottish systems administrator and hacker who was accused in 2002 of perpetrating the “biggest military computer hack of all time,” although McKinnon himself – who has the mental health condition known as autism - states that he was merely looking for evidence of free energy suppression and a cover-up of UFO activity and other technologies potentially useful to the public. After a series of legal proceedings in England, McKinnon is currently fighting extradition to the United States.
Source: Wickipedia – further info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_McKinnon
Because Gary McKinnon’s fight for the right to a UK trial has focused on how likely he is to commit suicide, some people forget that he is actually innocent of any extraditable crime. Constant reiterations by the Prime Minister of how serious America views it, does not make it true.
So, I would like to make absolutely clear that what Gary McKinnon actually admitted to, computer missuse/trespass (Section 1 & 2 illegal access), is not, I repeat NOT, an extraditable offence and carried only a six months probably non-custodial sentence in the UK.As regard to a section 3 offence (extraditiable) the CPS said
He did not damage computers. He did not attack systems nor did he have any malicious intent.
From the age of ten Gary had a fascination with UFOs and all things extraterrestrial and from his teens, a fascination with computers. Inspired by the Disclosure Project he decided to research the UFO phenomenon and in particular, the Official Cover-up that the disclosure project had made him concious of.
In the course of his quest he became aware that a great number of NASA and Pentagon computers had no passwords set and no firewalls in place. Shocked by this, he left many cyber notes for the various sytems administrators telling them that their security was deeply flawed. America’s answer to this was to demand his immediate extradition. Christpher J Christie now governor of New Jersey shockingly stated at a press conference in November 2002 that he wanted to see McKinnon ‘FRY’!!!
In order to make it an extraditable offence America requires a threshold level of $5000 worth of damage for each count.
Magically The indictment claims that Gary McKinnon caused exactly the minimum figure, $5000, to each system.
In 2002 under the original extradition treaty, the US were obliged to show evidence of the alleged damage. However no evidence was presented. In 2009 the Crown Prosecution Service disclosure to the court showed that they had dismissed the information given by America, as hearsay and inadmissable. The High Court Judge lord Justice Stanley Burnton said “do you realise how embarassing this will be for the CPS if Mr McKinnon were to be tried in the UK?” The prosecution answered “yes”.
In 2002, because there was no evidence to extradite, the CPS wanted to try Gary in the UK on the computer misuse offence but, according to a CPS lawyer, were told ‘from the very top’ to stand aside to allow America to deal with Gary – this is an abuse of office. If there is evidence of someone having commited an offence in the UK it is the duty of the CPS to try the accused in the UK. it is not in their remit to cherry pick cases or to decide the evidence does not reflect the more serious allegations which America claims but does not have evidence for.
America waited for three and a half years before requesting extradition from the UK, leaving Gary McKinnon with unfettered access to the internet. (If Gary had been the least possible threat as America claimed, Neither America nor Britain would have left him with full internet access for over three years.)
They waited for over three years for the UK government to begin using the ONE-SIDED 2003 EXTRADITION TREATY as they then had no need to show one scrap of evidence to extradite any British Citizen to face immediate incarceration in an American prison awaiting eventual trial.
Whereas if the the UK wishes to extradite an American Citizen they do need to provide evidence which can be contested in an American court. However we all know America rarely extradites any of its citizens and regularly refuses to do so.
Under a Freedom of Information request The Home Office revealed that since 1st January 2004 to 10th June 2010 only three people with American or Joint American nationality have been extradited to the UK. Whereas for the same period more than Nine times as many British or joint British Nationals have been extradited to America that is in spite of America having more than five times the population of the UK. Which means that per capita more than FIFTY times as many UK nationals have been extradited to America!!!
The treaty removed the right of evidence to be required by a UK court before extradition can be ruled on and thus removed the power of UK judges to judge.
It removes the right to a trial by one’s peers.
It removes the presumption of innocence.
It is an absolute betrayal of British Citizens.
Gary McKinnon has Aspergers Syndrome an Autism Spectrum Disorder, a life long condition. A simple disruption to the routine of normality is stressful in the extreme, but as it stands at the moment, Gary literally believes it far preferable to commit suicide than to face being ripped from his home and dragged thousands of miles from his family and support to rot in a brutal American prison. Yet previous home secretaries seemed to think that throwing Gary to what he sincerely believes to be a fate worse than death, somehow is not against his human rights. That is indeed a cruel and unusual punishment.
His fate is presently in the hands of Theresa May. Whether she is strong enough to stand up to the huge pressure from America, from the same old advisors as have been there all along, we wait to see.
He is after all not trying to escape justice but merely wants to face justice in a UK court, which, under the Magna Carta, is his absolute right.
Source & latest updates on Gary McKinnon: http://www.londontv.net/latestnews.html
What can you do to help?
Sign the petition to amend the extradition arrangements: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22467
Links:
Original Page: http://aspercatsplace.wordpress.com/humanrights/
September 13, 2012
To my friends and family worldwide:
This special edition of the DailyDDoSe™ is brought to you from "an Undisclosed Location" because it doesn't matter where I am or what country I live in... All that matters is that you read this wonderful post by my friend @AsperCat and PLEASE!!! Take time to read "An Open Letter to Theresa May and David Cameron" by Gary's mum, Janis Sharp which I will repost momentarily.
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