I would like to question the position of Olivia Seccombe over her letter regarding MP Sadiq Khan, and his support of Tooting resident Babar Ahmad (and Talha Ahsan).

Her letter seems to lack a certain element. Namely, the facts.

I'm not trying to defend Mr Khan's reputation, but I am worried by her lack of understanding and compassion for these two men.

Firstly, Babar and Talha are British, live (or lived) in Tooting, and were imprisoned here for eight and six years respectively - without charge.

Then last year, Theresa "extradite-a-Brit" May sent them to the U.S., a country that they'd never been to, to serve time in solitary confinement. Talha Ahsan has Aspergers syndrome.

A year on they have now accepted a plea bargain. There has been no trial yet.

Originally the British government didn't have enough evidence, and the case was about to collapse. That's when America stepped in, and started an extradition process.

The 2003 extradition law (accepted by Tony Blair's government) means that the U.S. can ask for any British citizen, with or without evidence, and our government must send them. What if that was you, or a member of your family Olivia?

The U.S.'s prison system is, in the words of Noam Chomsky, an international scandal. Both men have already been in solitary confinement for a year (pre-trial), and now the plea bargain.

What this means is that they were threatened with a huge sentence, if they continued to plead innocent and fail.

Now, having accepted a guilty plea (or bribe), they have both got shorter sentences. 97 per cent of prisoners accept the plea bargain, and the prison system there feel content.

I say to Olivia, that on this occasion Mr Sadiq Khan was right. These men deserve his (and our) support. Our legal system let us down, Theresa May betrayed two Londoners, and now the U.S. are treating them like animals.

And yet at the same time, Tony Blair, who along with George Bush oversaw the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Around a million people were killed, millions more made refugees, and yet they are free to travel the world making vast sums of money. Oh, and they happen to be white. Go figure.

Colin Crilly, Tooting

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