Watch and wonder about the moral backbone of our leaders. (YouTube)

From Fair Trials International, Nov 24th, 2009.

Greek police fabricated evidence and lied under oath in order to frame Andrew Symeou, according to a criminal complaint being filed by Andrew's lawyer in Greece. Andrew, a 20 year old British man from Enfield, is accused of involvement in the tragic death of another young British man in a nightclub in Zante, Greece in 2007.

Jago Russell, Chief Executive of Fair Trials International, said:

"Andrew should not have been extradited on the basis of this fabricated evidence and flawed investigation. This young man has already spent four months in a Greek jail, and still no trial date is in sight."

Despite serious flaws in the case against him, in July of this year British courts ordered his extradition to Greece under a European Arrest Warrant. Andrew remains in prison, having been twice refused bail on the grounds that he is not a Greek national.

Read also the speech made by Baroness Ludford, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament for London and remember that the Liberal Democrats are completely and fully supportive of our European Government.

Sarah speaks to the European Parliament about the European Arrest Warrant, defendants' rights and Andrew Symeou

Speech by Sarah Ludford MEP delivered to the European Parliament on Tue 24th Nov 2009

Sarah Ludford (ALDE). - Mr President, the Swedish Presidency is to be congratulated for the way they have pushed the overdue question of defendants' rights to fair treatment across Europe. This is absolutely essential to accompany the European arrest warrant. We need to ensure that mutual recognition really can be based on mutual confidence in all the national criminal justice systems. This is not the case at present and there are severe weaknesses.

I also have a constituent, Andrew Symeou, who has been in jail in Greece since July, refused bail because he was a foreigner. His Greek lawyer has made a complaint about police abuse and destruction of evidence. An application will be made to the European Court of Human Rights, and it is pretty shameful that this is necessary, because this is about the treatment of one EU citizen by another Member State. It is shocking that this has to go to Strasbourg.

So I support the European arrest warrant, but we absolutely must have the defendants' rights to go with it. Otherwise we will have scandals like that of Andrew Symeou which destroy public support for the European arrest warrant, as is happening in my country.