The European Court prevents the deportation of Abou Qatada

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has provisionally prevented the expulsion of the Islamist Abou Qatada to Jordan, asking the British government to suspend until his complaint is considered.

•     The British Ministry of Interior has agreed to delay the deportation of the religious man: "We are eager to expel as soon as possible this dangerous character but we are bound by European justice," he responded. "We hope that the Strasbourg Court reaches the same conclusion as the House of Lords."
  
      The European Court based in Strasbourg (north-east of France) said in a statement Friday that it had decided "to tell the government of the United Kingdom under Article 39 of the Rules, that he should not be deported to Jordan as the Court did not properly consider the issue. " This review can last between a few weeks to several months.
  
      Abou Qatada faced a rapid expulsion of Great Britain after the green light Wednesday by the highest British court, the "Law Lords". He immediately filed a complaint before the European Court and asked London to prohibit the expulsion, by invoking Article 39.
  
      In this application, Abou Qatada complains that "despite assurances from the Jordanian government, his return to Jordan would expose him to a real risk of mistreatment in violation of Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights, and coarse violations of Article 5 (right of liberty and security) and Article 6 (right to a fair trial) of the Convention", according to the Strasbourg Court.
  
      Article 39 may be invoked in cases of emergency where the life or physical integrity of an applicant and the provisional measures indicated by the Court are generally observed by European governments.
  
      Abou Qatada, once was regarded as the spiritual leader of Al Qaeda in Europe, was sentenced in absentia in Jordan on two occasions to a total of 15 years’ hard labour for terrorist activities. He took refuge in Britain where he was detained twice under the Terrorism Act 2001, but never tried.
  
      Thursday, the European Court has awarded him compensation of 2,800 euros for arbitrary detention in the UK.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.