Excellent article by Mark Stephens calling for Open Justice

SOURCE: Guardian.co.uk | Friday 25 February 2011 17.44 GMT

"This act, quite incredibly, allows European countries to deem prosecutors and even policemen "as judicial authorities" (a contradiction in terms, because they are neither independent nor impartial) and to pluck their suspects from the UK so long as they tick the right box on the EAW form. In Assange's case, for example, they ticked "rape" and the court cannot dispute that the allegation is of rape, even though the leading authority on sexual offences, the Oxford Vinerian professor, Andrew Ashworth, disputes this characterisation. There can be no questioning on the merits of the charges – in 2003 parliament abolished the traditional right of a suspect to require foreign governments to show a prima facie case before dragging them off to unfair trials."

- Mark Howard Stephens, Solicitor for Julian Assange

Read Full Article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/25/europe-open-justice-sweden-assange