§ Lord Lamont of Lerwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Home Secretary is prepared to consider representations from Amnesty International and other groups about the extradition of General Pinochet when the party responsible for making the application for extradition, namely the Kingdom of Spain, has indicated that it will be content if the Home Secretary decides not to extradite General Pinochet; and [HL670]
Why the Home Secretary is prepared to consider representations from different groups about the decision on the possible extradition of General Pinochet to Spain when he did not carry out any such consultation with victims of terrorism when he refused to extradite Roisin McAliskey to Germany. [HL671]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonIt is not the normal practice of the Home Secretary in extradition cases to invite representations from parties other than those directly concerned—i.e. the accused and the requesting state—although such representations are sometimes volunteered and, where relevant, considered. The reason why, on this occasion, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary allowed time for representations, and specifically invited representations from human rights organisations, was that he was aware that certain of these organisations had been regarded by the House of Lords on both the first and second hearings on the immunity appeal as having sufficient interest in the principles governing the extradition of persons accused of international crimes to warrant their being allowed to intervene and be heard on the appeal. After the first decision of the House of Lords, they asked to be allowed to make representations to my right honourable friend the Home Secretary on the question whether an Authority 29WA to Proceed should issue, and such representations were received and considered both at the time when he was deciding whether to issue the first Authority to Proceed, and again when a fresh Authority to Proceed had to be considered in the light of the second decision of the House of Lords. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary assumed that human rights organisations would wish to make representations on this occasion also, and, therefore, allowed a period of time in which they could do so.