The British government is prohibited from extraditing Omar Othman alias Abu Qatada, a cleric considered "radical", to Jordan. The ban was issued by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
The European Court of Human Rights said that if he returned to Jordan, Qatada would likely be tortured and not receive a fair trial.
The British government considers Qatada, dubbed "Osama bin Laden's right hand man in Europe," a threat to national security.
Abu Qatada was wanted by the Jordanian government on accusations that he was active as a "terrorist". In Jordan, Qatada was sentenced to life in prison.
The UK Home Minister, Theresa May, said she was disappointed with the decision by the European Court of Human Rights.
Abu Qatada is considered as one of the most influential scholars in Europe. Judges in England called Qatada very dangerous.
Qatada has never been tried in Britain, but has been detained and is serving house arrest. Law enforcers have not formally brought charges against him.
The UK government can still appeal the decision of the European Court of Human Rights for the next three months. If an appeal is not filed, the decision of the Human Rights Court will prevail and Qatada must be acquitted.
The cleric who holds Jordanian citizenship has been found guilty by a Jordanian court. However, Qatada said the evidence obtained by prosecutors was obtained through the torture of several other suspects and that he would face a similar possibility if deported from Britain to Jordan. He fled to England in 1993 after admitting to being tortured twice. (Mel / RNW / BBC / ddhongkong.org). *
