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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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9.8.99

Innocent until Proven Muslim
Today’s Judgement on the 8 Britons.

Today’s guilty verdict on the eight British Muslims in Yemen had proven how the concept above is applicable in the new modern Islamophobic world.

Amnesty International Report on the human rights abuses in Yemen 1997 and 1998 has quoted that abuse of human rights, torture as a tool of extracting confessions and conviction by internationally unacceptable and substandard judiciary system is prevalent there.

In short there is a consensus that independent judiciary and the fair treatment of prisoners in Yemen is much less likely to happen than in Saudi Arabia. But this has been ignored by the British media and Foreign office. When one compares the case of British nurses facing charges and being found guilty in Saudi Arabia and the British tourist facing charges and being found guilty in Yemen, one will see such a double standard that could only be interpreted as Muslims are the new second class citizens of Britain.

On the first anniversary of the arrest of the two Saudi nurses, Liz Symons Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign office said : “We remain deeply concerned about their welfare and over the past year we have done everything we possibly could to meet their needs. Our consular staff in Saudi Arabia continue to visit the nurses every week. FCO officers in London keep in regular touch with their families. We have provided a great deal of support and assistance to the nurses.”

On the day of their conviction the FCO made a statement saying : “We have been actively involved in this case from the start. We shall stay in close touch with the nurses families, their lawyers and we will continue to make clear our concern to the Saudi authorities.”

IHRC chairman Massoud Shadjareh said : “What we now expect is nothing more and nothing less than what was done for the Saudi nurses. Not only do we want the same comment from the foreign office but also the same commitment which will be the only hope for justice and freedom for the British nationals.”