Justice for Nick Baker - the Campaign goes to Downing Street

11.26.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 11th Sep 2003

Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Baroness Sarah Ludford and a representative from Fair Trials Abroad join the mother of Japanese injustice victim Nick Baker on the steps of no.10 on Friday September 12th at 1pm to present a petition to the Prime Minister asking him to act on Nick's behalf.

The campaign team will then go on protest outside the Japanese embassy. Since Japan is an important EU trade and diplomatic partner, Sarah is also asking European external affairs Commissioner Chris Patten to intervene. Sarah said:

"I will not be fobbed off with the tired old argument that our government cannot 'interfere' in another country's judicial system. Nick was treated as presumed guilty and we are entitled to expect Mr Blair to say candidly to Japan as a major ally with a developed democracy that it thus failed to respect his human rights. There are plenty of precedents for action to rescue British citizens."

"The EU as a political union with human rights standards also has a role in upholding them internationally, especially for European citizens. I therefore think it appropriate to ask Commissioner Chris Patten to raise Nick's case with the Japanese government."

Notes

1. Nick Baker was convicted of drug-smuggling in June and sentenced to 14 years in prison and a £25,000 fine. He was denied a lawyer for 3 weeks of questioning, had grossly inadequate interpretation, was locked in solitary for most of the year before trial, and important evidence was excluded. Despite numerous letters asking Tony Blair to act, Iris Baker has never received a personal reply from the Prime Minister. Ahead of his July visit to Japan Sarah Ludford wrote to him asking for a "firm assurance" that Nick's case would personally be raised with PM Koizumi. The Foreign Office has subsequently said "unfortunately there was no opportunity to raise the case during the PM's visit."

2. Examples of cases where the government has lobbied foreign governments include:

Peter Bleach: jailed for life in India for arms smuggling

Ian Stillman: himself deaf and worked as a deaf charity worker in India. Sentenced to 10 yrs imprisonment in 2001 after police claimed to have found drugs in a taxi he used. All appeals failed but Mr Stillman was released in Dec 2002 after Tony Blair raised the case with the Indian Government.

Ian Nisbet, Reza Pankhurst and Maajid Nawaz: Arrested in April 2002, they were accused of promoting an Islamic group banned in Egypt; concerns about their trial and treatment raised with the Egyptian authorities.

Richard Mechan, spent 3 years in prison in Bahrain for manslaughter. Jack Straw wrote to the Bahrain government with serious concerns that his trial was unfair; he was released in August 2003.

Related Links:

Search site for more on Nick Baker's case.

Justice for Nick Baker website.

Fair Trials Abroad website.