British hacker faces Guantanamo

Convinced that the US government was hiding secret information on UFOs, London man Gary McKinnon hacked his way through US military computer systems over 2001-2002.

Now he faces extradition to the US, and possible internment at the infamous Guantanamo Bay concentration camp.

Although US diplomats claim they have offered assurances in a letter that this will not happen, the lawyer representing Gary McKinnon points out that the letter is unsigned and anonymous.

The big point of contention is whether he would be tried in a Federal court, and therefore offered normal democratic legal protection - or whether he would be tried in a military court under Military Order Number One, which means indefinite detention as and how the military sees fit.

While no one is condoning Gary McKinnon’s hacking activities, it remains a point of sore concern that the UK government is seen to be doing very little to protect UK citizens from institutional kidnapping, which is what Guantanamo Bay essentially represents.