UK, Jordan sign treaty to push Abu Qatada deportation

April 25, 2013

RECORDER REPORT

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Britain has signed a legal treaty with Jordan giving guarantees that Islamist terror suspect Abu Qatada would face a fair trial if deported, Home Secretary Theresa May said Wednesday. May made the announcement in parliament a day after the Court of Appeal in London refused her permission to challenge its ruling that the radical preacher cannot be sent back due to rights concerns.

The minister also said the British government was "exploring all options" but refused to directly confirm reports that it was considering a temporary withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. "I can tell the house that I have signed a comprehensive mutual legal assistance agreement with Jordan," May said in a statement to the House of Commons. "The agreement also includes a number of fair trial guarantees... I believe these guarantees will provide the courts with the assurance that Qatada will not face evidence that might have been obtained by torture in a retrial in Jordan."

May said she believed the new treaty would give the British government "every chance of succeeding" in its years-long battle to deport Abu Qatada. Both countries had yet to ratify the treaty and it was due to go before the Jordanian parliament shortly, May said. "I believe that the treaty we have agreed with Jordan, once ratified by both parliaments, will finally make possible the deportation of Abu Qatada," she said. There was no immediate reaction from Amman.