Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Fiona Mactaggart (Labour), on Thursday, 25 May 2000, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 84 members in total.

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MRS MANJIT BASUTA

That this House notes that Mrs Manjit Basuta, a British citizen, has been convicted in the United States and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after an unsafe trial; further notes that the trial did not comply with Article 14 of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights stating that all persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals, everyone is entitled to be heard by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal, everyone is entitled to examine, or have examined the witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf on the same conditions as those against him; further notes that this unfairness is shown by the unsupervised vetting of the jury, the prejudicial refusal to admit relevant and expert evidence, the questionable reliability of the main prosecution witness and the judge's apparent greater concern for expediency than fairness; and supports Manjit Basuta's lawyers' and Fair Trials Abroad's call for an immediate retrial.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

786 

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Administration of justice Trials USA Fair Trials Abroad Basuta, Manjit

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk