Farid Hilali is a Moroccan national who has lived in Britain at various times for over 15 years. He was detained in the United Arab Emirates in 1999 where he was asked to be an informant by the British security services. He believes that he was detained and tortured for precisely this reason. The UAE authorities forcibly repatriated him to Morocco, where his and his families lives were made “hell”, in the words of his solicitors in Morocco. This involved being arrested, tortured and interrogated day and night without notice, his family being threatened, and many other abuses. He returned to the United Kingdom in 2001, and a few years later on the 3rd September 2003 was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, at which point he made an application for asylum, fearing a return to Morocco.
He was then subjected to a European arrest warrant on the part of Spain, alleging that he was in part responsible for conspiracy to Murder in relation to the attacks upon the United States on the 11th September 2001. The basis of this allegation was based upon vague interpretations of intercepted telephone communication.
The Spanish Prosecutor Mr Pedro Rubira has made false statements to British Courts to substantiate these allegations. He stated that he was involved in the ‘Hamburg Cell’ and wanted in Germany. In documents provided to Farids’ solicitors, the German Prosecutors office, it is stated that “There is no investigation, with respect to the terror attacks of 11th September 2001 against Farid Hilali (or ‘Shakur’ / ‘Shukri’). The investigations carried out in this connection did not give any indication that Hilali was a member of the terrorist organisation of Mohammed Atta in Hamburg or had supported this organisation.”
Mr Rubira also stated that he has been identified as a member of a terrorist cell in Spanish courts, however no such transcripts of court statements exist to substantiate this. The Madrid Bar Association has compiled a report against Mr Rubira to this effect.
Despite all the incidents mentioned, Farid has now been authorised to be extradited to Spain under the terms of the European Arrest Warrant. In Spain, he risks being deported to Morocco or suffering torture and ill-treatment at the hands of the Spanish Prison system. Both of these occurrences are likely, and documented by Amnesty International and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
It is a matter of urgency that protests from the Muslim community are made to prevent this through the seeking of an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights. I urge all readers to phone, fax, email and write to all the persons detailed in “key contacts” in order to facilitate this, as it is quite literally a matter of life and death for Farid Hilali.
There are many ways in order to help Farid Hilali and prevent his extradition. It is imperative that you carry out as many actions as possible, as his health and indeed his life is in grave danger. All of these actions do have an effect. If the situation is highlighted in the correct manner with as much exposure as possible, there is every chance that the European and British Courts are obliged to review the evidence in more detail as a matter of public interest.
Actions Required :-
· Write letters and make phone calls to the European Court of Human Rights, asking
them to prevent the deportation
· Write and phone the Spanish Embassy, asking them to halt the extradition
proceedings
· Write to Farid, and send him messages of support. Details can be provided upon
request.
· At the very least, make Dua’ to Allah (Swt) to ease his suffering
KEY CONTACTS
European Court of Human Rights
President
European Court of Human Rights
Council of Europe
67075 Strasbourg-Cedex
France
FAX: 00330 388 4102018
Spanish Embassy
39 Chesham Pl
London, SW1X 8SB
TEL : 020 72355555
LETTER TEMPLATE :-
Dear <NAME>
I write to you in relation to the above case of Farid Hilali who is subject to a European Arrest
warrant filed in the United Kingdom by the Spanish Prosecutors office.
There are a number of irregularities and concerns that I have that I believe would make the
extradition unsafe.
· Mr Hilali is being sought on the basis of telephone intercept evidence, which was
found in the Spanish Supreme Court to be inadmissible within Court.
· The alleged co-conspirator in the European Warrant, Mr Yarkas, has been
exonerated of all charges in relation to this recording
· Mr Hilali is alleged by the Spanish Prosecutors Office to be a member of the
‘Hamburg Cell’, even though German Prosecutors have stated that there is no record
of Mr Hilali ever having been involved.
· Mr Hilali is at severe risk of torture by both the Spanish Government and by the
Moroccan Government if Spain were to subsequently deport him.
Mr Farid Hilali has numerous positive character references and has never been convicted of
any terrorist offence. There are serious discrepancies in the credibility of the statement
provided to British Courts by the Spanish Prosecutors office, as contested by the Madrid Bar
Association.
I urge you to protect the human rights of Mr Hilali by preventing this extradition, and appeal to
you to enforce the obligations of member states in relation to Article 3 on the UN Convention
on Torture, which states that “No State Party shall expel, return (“refouler”) or extradite a
person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he will be in
danger of being subjected to torture”.
I thank you for taking the time to read this letter, trust you will now investigate the issues
raised within it and prevent the extradition of Farid Hilali.
I look forward to hearing from you in due course.
Regards,
<NAME>
Prisoners of Faith 