McKinnon Is Suicide Risk Following Appeal Rejection

The British government has rejected last-ditch attempts by hacker Gary McKinnon to avoid extradition to the United States. Home Secretary Alan Johnson said yesterday that he had considered the evidence and come to the conclusion that he could not contradict the ruling.

“I have carefully considered the representations in the case of Gary McKinnon,” he said in a public statement. “I am clear that the information is not materially different from that placed before the High Court earlier this year and does not demonstrate that sending Mr McKinnon to the US would breach his human rights.”

Gary McKinnon was arrested in 2002 after he hacked into 97 military and NASA systems in a bid to find secret information about aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). US prosecutors alleged his hacking caused it to shut down critical systems and networks in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and caused damages of approximately £435,000 ($700,000). Authorities called it “the biggest military hack of all time”.

McKinnon, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, lost his High Court appeal against extradition to the US in July, but in October the Home Secretary decided to delay the extradition while he examined new medical evidence. “I have to ensure that his Article 3 human rights are being respected,” Johnson said at the time.

McKinnon’s drawn-out campaign has had extensive media coverage, and has enlisted the support of a number of Members of Parliament (MPs) and celebrities such as Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Sting. Some supporters criticised the Home Secretary for “ignoring medical evidence” and “washing his hands” of the McKinnon case.

McKinnon’s mother Janis Sharp told the BBC that her son has reacted very badly to the news. “It’s a disgusting decision. Gary has been in a heightened state of terror for almost eight years,” she said. “You wouldn’t do it to an animal, for a person to go through this every second of every day is against anyone’s human rights.”

The decision has also prompted fresh concerns about McKinnon’s health. “Gary is at risk of suicide, I’m extremely worried about him,” said Sharp. “This government is terrified of speaking up to America, and now they are allowing vulnerable people to be pursued for non-violent crime when they should be going after terrorists.”

McKinnon’s lawyer Karen Todner also expressed her concerns, claiming she plans to launch a judicial review of the Home Secretary’s decision. “We cannot give up because in some ways it’s like dealing with a death row case, and we genuinely believe Gary’s life is at stake here,” she said.

If McKinnon is successfully extradited, charged and convicted in the US, he faces up to 70 years in prison.