MRS MANJIT BASUTA

Early day motion 786, tabled 25 May 2000 by Fiona Mactaggart (Labour). Signed by 84 members.

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.

Signatures by party: Labour 71, Liberal Democrat 6, Labour/Co-operative 5, Conservative 2.