The British Home Affair Committee
recently said Gary McKinnon, who faces serious jail time if
extradited and found guilty of hacking several U.S. networks, should
not be extradited due to the "precarious state of mental
health."
The current U.S.-UK extradition treaty,
according to critics, isn't fair for both American and British
citizens, which caused the British government to closely evaluate
McKinnon's current legal status.
"As the home
secretary told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, the
evidence that must
be provided for a U.S. extradition request to proceed in the UK
is in practice the same as for a UK request to proceed in the U.S.,"
a Home Office statement noted. "The suggestion that the
operation of the Extradition Act needs to be reviewed comprehensively
is unnecessary."
McKinnon lost his last extradition
appeal in August, and the possibility
of extradition to the U.S. seemed even more probable. The
Briton was indicted in 2002 by a Virginia grand jury, with seven
charges of computer-related offenses which could
have led to a maximum of 70 years of prison.
Human rights
activists and McKinnon's legal team argued McKinnon, who has a form
of Asperger Syndrome, would face inhumane punishment if sent to the
United States. Prior to President Barack Obama's announcement
to close Guantanamo Bay, it would have been possible McKinnon could
have been sentenced there.
