“Solo” the Pentagon cracker very close to extradition to USA
Gary McKinnon lost another battle in his long legal war against the extradition to United States when, some days ago, Home Secretary of United Kingdom refused to examine the new medical evidence submitted by the defendant. In a letter dated November 26 and directed to lawyer Karen Todner, Secretary Alan Johnson expressed his “firm view that McKinnon’s extradition would not be incompatible with his human rights“, therefore “his extradition to the United States must proceed forthwith“.
Become famous as “Solo” the Pentagon cracker, able to penetrate almost a hundred computers belonging to the USA military systems and NASA in search for – as he states – the truth about UFO, McKinnon is fighting to avoid ending up in prison since the time he was captured in 2002. And while his lawyer’s appeals fell into oblivion unheard, the hacker’s health conditions got worse because of the Asperger’s syndrome he was suffering from.
The review requested to the State Secretary was just about the illness diagnosis, but Johnson didn’t soften and refused to take into consideration the new medical evidence. The Secretary stated to have received guarantees from the USA government on McKinnon’s suitable assistance once he will be put in prison, an assistance that includes “appropriate medical care and treatment” for his particular condition.
But guarantees aren’t enough to comfort the mother of the now-43 years old man, which said she is “extremely worried” about her son that according to her “is at risk of suicide“. McKinnon’s lawyers consider Johnson’s decision to be “callous“, prompted by the political will to sacrifice the hacker on the altar of diplomatic relations with USA and prevent the path of an in-house judicial proceedings as it was previously requested too.
Between McKinnon and a USA “supermax” prison there is now the faint hope of judiciary review on Secretary Johnson’s decision or, if this step too had to be unsuccessful, a new appeal to the European Court of Human Rights that judged on the case before without taking into account the Asperger’s syndrome.