Stop the Extradition of Ali Aarrass
London Support Committee
Spanish Ambassador
Mr Carlos Casajuana
39 Chesham Place
London
SW1X 8SB
26 November 2010
Your Excellency,
We write to you on a matter of great urgency, to express our concern that the forced removal of
Ali Aarrass, a dual Belgian-Moroccan national, from Spain to Morocco, is imminent.
We are sure that you are already well aware that the case is the subject of an Urgent Action
Alert by Amnesty International which, following the decision of the Spanish Council of Ministers
on 19 November to approve Morocco’s extradition request, warned that Ali Aarrass is at grave risk
of torture and other ill-treatment, and of an unfair trial. In Document EUR41/004/2010 AI points
out that the Spanish National Criminal Court closed its investigation against Ali Aarrass in March
2009 on the basis of lack of evidence. It also states that while Ali Aarrass is accused by the
Moroccan government of association with a terrorist network dubbed the ‘Belliraj cell’, a number
of men from this cell who subsequently faced prosecution were reportedly tortured by the
Moroccan intelligence services (Directorate for the Surveillance of the Territory) during incommu-
nicado detention. Furthermore, the convictions of these men on appeal were marred by procedural
irregularities and unexamined claims of torture and other ill-treatment.
We would like to add a few points to the issues already raised with the Spanish government by
Amnesty International.
Spain has a well-earned reputation as a defender of human rights and has a deep knowledge
about the routine denial of human rights in Morocco. It is this that makes the decision to extra-
dite Ali Aarrass all the more shocking. The Spanish government, more than any other government
in Europe, has knowledge of the routine practice of torture by the Moroccan intelligence services.
We also write on the basis of our own knowledge of the torture practices of the Moroccan
regime and the dishonour of our own British government in colluding with those practices – and
in a bid to halt Spain from facing the same dishonour. Amongst those signing this plea to stop
the extradition of Ali Aarrass are lawyers, who have acted for torture victims. It is to the lasting
shame of this country that our intelligence services stand accused of colluding with the Moroccan
authorities in Binyam Mohamed’s case. It is now common knowledge that the Moroccans for
eighteen months slashed the most intimate parts of Binyam Mohamed’s body with razors, burned
him with boiling liquids, stretched his limbs causing unimaginable agony, and bombarded him
with ferocious sound.
As already pointed out, no case against Ali Aarrass – a citizen of Europe – on terrorism-related
charges has even been mounted in Spain. But if there is new evidence, we call on the Spanish
government to end his administrative detention in Algeciras and immediately bring him to trial
in Spain, affording him the same rights as any other European citizen.
We urge you to protect the honour of Spain – and to avoid the risk of its collusion with tor-
ture – by making representations to prevent what we believe would be a grave miscarriage of jus-
tice.
Yours
Jeremy Corbyn, MP
Jean Lambert, MEP
Baroness Sarah Ludford, MEP
Dr Diego Acosta Arcarazo (Lecturer in Law, University of Sheffield)
Dr. Penny Bernstock (University of East London)
BM Box 8784, London WC1N 3XX. Tel: 07879 687 390. Email: londonaliaarrass@gmail.com
Naima Bouteldja (Director, Red Rag Productions)
Tony Bunyan (Statewatch)
Gareth Dale (Senior Lecturer in Politics, Brunel University)
Liz Davies (barrister)
Nadine El-Enany (Lecturer in Law, Brunel University)
Liz Fekete (Head of European Research, Institute of Race Relations)
Nuno Ferreira (Lecturer in Law, School of Law, Univerisity of Manchester)
Dr Myria Georgiou (Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics)
Adriana Giunta (PT Lecturer, Brunel Law School)
Anne Gray (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities)
Dr. Penny Green (Professor of Law and Criminology, Kings College London)
John Hendy (Queen’s Counsel)
Dr. Helen M. Hintjens (Senior Lecturer in Development and Social Justice, International Institute
of Social Studies (The Hague)
Ian Macdonald (Queen’s Counsel)
Saleh Mamon (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities)
Ali Fathollah-Nejad (Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London)
Scott Poynting (Professor in Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University)
Asim Qureshi (Executive Director, Cageprisoners)
Fizza Qureshi
Mr Mizanur Rahman (Inspire)
Robin Richardson (Director, Insted Consultancy)
Sadat Sayeed (barrister)
Estella Schmid (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities)
Dr Victoria Sentas (School of Law, King’s College London)
Frances Webber (immigration and human rights lawyer)
Dr Milly Williamson (Senior Lecturer in Film and Television, School of Arts, Brunel University)
Dr Alexandra Xanthaki (Reader in Law and Deputy Head (Programmes) Brunel Law School,
Brunel University)
BM Box 8784, London WC1N 3XX. Tel: 07879 687 390. Email: londonaliaarrass@gmail.com
