Guest guest Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 For immediate release ......................................... Wednesday 6 January 2010 Online Campaigners Show Support for McKinnon Text GARY to 65000 to join petition Two major online campaigns - a text petition and the " Chicago " song download - are being launched this week demonstrating continued, and widespread, public opposition to the extradition of McKinnon. Time is running out for as he nears the end of legal challenges in the UK courts. The text petition, spearheaded by Janis Sharp, 's mum, and key supporters, urges voters to text " " to 65000, by way of demonstrating their support. Evidence of petitioner numbers will be sent on a regular basis to the Home Secretary, as well as to the Conservative & Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretaries in this, an election year. The ambition is two-fold, first to give voters an opportunity to directly manifest their frustration at a lack of protection for vulnerable UK citizens such as , and second to encourage the main political parties to reform our imbalanced extradition arrangements as part of their manifesto pledges. Meanwhile via a Facebook and Twitter campaign, Janis is asking 's supporters to download the song " Chicago " recorded last year, with and for, , by international musicians Gilmour, Bob Geldof and Chrissie Hynde. Janis said: " The support and compassion shown by members of the public has been a tremendous boost during our 8 year fight to ensure faces justice in the UK. " I hope this text campaign helps stir the Government from its stupor of inactivity which is simply fuelling the publicâ•˙s sense of outrage at the unnecessary cruelty of the situation. " Gordon Brown wrung his hands over the execution of a mentally ill British drugs carrier in China. Yet he and his government remain complicit in the US authoritiesâ•˙ hounding of my vulnerable son, despite knowing that, for , extradition amounts to nothing less than a death sentence, given his growing mental instability. " Why can't the UK just ask our supposedly strongest ally, President Obama, to show clemency towards by cancelling the extradition request and allowing a UK prosecution? " Sending a text takes seconds. Intervening takes moments. has lived in anguish for years. " As for the music campaign, I hope President Obama will listen to the reworded version of " Chicago " which is a direct plea to him. If he personally learns of 's plight perhaps he may show compassion of his own accord, and allow my son to be tried in Britain. " Last month, 's legal team filed an application for judicial review of the Home Secretary's most recent decision not to halt extradition despite overwhelmingly compelling evidence of 's mental deterioration, and expert warnings of the onset of psychosis and probable suicide that his extradition would trigger. The courts are still considering this Judicial Review application. ENDS For further information, please contact: Riley, Bell Yard Communications +44 (0) 20 7936 2021 melanie@... <mailto:melanie%40bell-yard.com> +44 (0) 7775 591244 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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