Mustapha Labsi loses extradition appeal

A court in London has today (Friday 16 Dec) refused Mustapha Labsi's appeal against extradition to France. Mustapha is from Algeria. He was arrested in Britain in 2001 under an extradition warrant from France in connection with alleged terrorism offences. When he was about to be granted bail on this matter, the Home Secretary ordered his internment under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) 2001. The Home Secretary approved Mustapha's extradition last April - shortly after the ATCSA internment powers were allowed to lapse following a ruling by the Law Lords that internment was unlawful. Mustapha has a Slovakian wife and a baby son. Both Mustapha and his wife have suffered severe mental health problems as a result of his detention.

• news report (in French)
• Mustapha in his own words

Mustapha's lawyers argued in court that he would not receive a fair trial in France. The court didn't accept this. For a description of the kind of justice given to "terrorism suspects" in France, visit see the account presented to a conference in Stockholm last month:
French anti-terrorist policy