［20120922］Rethinking extradition

Rethinking extradition

引渡法再思

Shipping them over

送他们回去

Should more Britons accused of crimes be tried at home?

更多背负犯罪指控的英国人应该在国内受审吗？

Sep 22nd 2012 | from the print edition 

IT IS now almost a year since the experts asked by a new government to review Britain’s controversial extradition arrangements produced a tome of“War and Peace” proportions. They found nothing much to criticise in the bilateral treaty with America (though many think it gives Britain a raw deal), but quite a lot in the European Arrest Warrants that let EU countries extract their nationals from each other.

大约一年前，英国新政府要求专家重审英国备受争议的引渡条约，该条约衍生出卷帙浩繁的《战争与和平》故事。专家们认为这份英美双边条约没有什么可批判的（尽管很多人认为这对英国来说是不平等条约），反而是《欧洲逮捕令》很多条款使欧盟国家之间互相引渡其国民。

Since then, unsatisfied, the House of Commonshas debated extradition and urged change; a parliamentary committee has prescribed reforms; and a review for the deputy prime minister has said that extradition should be overhauled. But from the government, so sympathetic in opposition tounfortunates being shipped off to face foreign justice, scarcely a peep.

自此，对引渡条款表示不满的下议院就此进行热议，并敦促改革；议会委员会已经开始制定改革方案；一份提交至副首相的报告也提出应该彻底整改引渡方案。尽管政府对不幸者被遣返回国面临国外司法审判的反对态度有同感，但是对修改引渡法一事几乎不闻不问。

That may change, as deadlines come fast and thickin high-profile extradition cases. On or around October 16th Gary McKinnon, a sufferer from Asperger’s syndrome arrested ten years ago for allegedly hacking into the Pentagon’s computers, will find out whether the home secretary, Theresa May, has refused to extradite him to America on grounds of ill health. Richard O’Dwyer, a British student wanted in America for running a website with links to music and TV shows, has an appeal hearingpending. Five Muslims may learn this month whether their bid to stave offan involuntary trip to America has run out of roadin the European Court of Human Rights. One of them, Babar Ahmad, who is alleged to have raised funds for jihadists from London, has been imprisoned for eight years without trial.

如今随着一桩桩众人瞩目的引渡案件的截止日期快到头了，上述情形可能会改变。10月16日那天或前后几天里，十年前因被指控非法入侵五角大楼电脑而被逮捕的亚斯伯格综合症患者Gary McKinnon，将知晓英国内政大臣Theresa May是否会因其病情而拒绝将他引渡至美国。因经营有音乐和电视节目网络链接的网站而遭美国通缉的英国学生Richard O’Dwyer面临着上诉听证。五位穆斯林教徒本月可能获悉他们延缓非自愿去美国的申请是否已经在欧洲人权法庭失去支持，其中被指控为伦敦圣战分子(jihadist)集资的Babar Ahmad已经在无审讯的情况下被关押了八年。

Such cases stoke unease over what many see as Britain’s loss of legal sovereignty, and especially over the fact that so many Britons are being tried elsewhere for offences committed wholly or partly in Britain. The government insists the extradition flow has not been entirely westward: between January 2004 and April 2012, England and Wales sent 83 people to America (refusing nine requests) while America handed over 41 (with no refusals). But dig deeper, suggests Dominic Raab, a Conservative MP, and you see that Britain has extradited seven of its nationals for each American coming the other way. And no American has been extradited for offences committed entirely on American soil.

这些案件酝酿着不安，很多人认为这是英国合法主权的缺失表现，在不少英国人（因全部或部分在英国本土犯下的罪行）在他国受审的事实上更是如此。政府坚称引渡方向并非一味地一路向西（从英国到美国）：2004年1月到2012年4月间，英格兰和威尔士遣送83人至美国（英方拒绝了美方的9个要求），与此同时美国移交41人至英国（没有拒绝英方任何要求）。但是保守派议员Dominic Raab认为，细看会发现英国引渡七个英国人来换美国引渡一个美国人。没有美国人因为完全在美国领土上犯下的罪行而被引渡。

One reason for the imbalance is that America, with its big, well-resourced and territorially ambitious Department of Justice, is more inclined than Britain’s poorer and weedier prosecutors to tackle white-collar crimein particular. Britain can and does refuse to hand over a suspect if it is investigating the matter itself. But often police and prosecutors reckon they cannot get enough evidence to secure a conviction and throw in their cards. Mr McKinnon, Mr O’Dwyer and Mr Ahmad are all crying out to be tried at home. “We are effectively subcontracting our justice system to America,” says a barrister.

这种不对等的原因之一在于：美国司法部规模大、资源好，并且有领土野心，它尤其比缺钱软弱的英国检察官更善于处理白领犯罪案件。英国如果独立调查案件是能够也确实会拒绝移交嫌疑犯，但是警方和检察官通常认为他们无法掌握充足证据将其定罪，转而拱手让人。McKinnon、O’Dwyer和Ahmad都大呼要在自家受审。“我们实际上是把自己的司法体系分包给美国了，”一位律师如是说。

Concern about this prompted the House of Lordsin 2006 to approve a “forum bar”, giving judges greater freedom to deny extradition for offences committed in Britain. To come into force it needs a vote by both houses of Parliament. Mr Raab says he may try to amend the Crime and Courts bill to this effectlater this autumn.

这方面的担忧促使上议院在2006年同意成立一个“法庭论坛”，在拒绝引渡英国本土犯罪罪犯上赋予法官更大权力。此权力的生效需要上下议院的两院投票。Raab说今年秋后他或将尝试为此修改英国《犯罪与法庭》法。

Many are wary, though, of changes that might prompt arduous renegotiation of the bilateral treaty. A strong extradition system is clearly in the public interest as people, and crime, grow more mobile. But treaties are supposed to stop criminals fleeing from justice, not send them all to a self-nominated enforcer. Britons are beginning to add too-ready extradition of their fellows to the list of failings they hold againstthis government.

很多人对可能导致英美双边条约艰难再议的变化持谨慎态度。随着人们身处地和案发地的不断变动，一个强大的引渡体系显然是维护公众利益的。但是条约本应防止罪犯逃离法网，而不是把他们交给一个自命名的执法者。英国人开始将“过于积极引渡国人”这一条加到他们责怪政府不作为的名单上了。

from the print edition | Britain 

come thick and fast

To come rapidly and in large quantities (as in an attack).

Eg. Those bees came thick and fast after you disturbed that beehive.

stave (someone or something) off

To keep someone or something at bay;

to defend against someone or something;

to delay or postpone someone or something.

Eg.He's been trying to scrounge up money so that he can stave off his creditors for a while longer.

run out of road

To lose the momentum, support,or resources needed to continue;

to reach a point where one cannot make any further progress.

Eg.The couple had been trying to change legislation for years, but their cause ran out of road when a state-levelsupreme court refused to hear their appeal.

The young company showed great promise and started making some realgrowth this year, but it looks like they simply ran out of road.

throw in, Informal.

1.to add as a bonus or gratuity: They throw in breakfast with the room.

2.to bring into (a discussion, plan, etc.) as an addition; interject:

 The president threw in an amusing anecdote to relieve the tension.

3.Cards. to abandon (a hand).

hold something against someone 

to blame  something on someone;                                                   

to bear grudge against someone; 

to resent someone.                                                         

Eg.Your brother is mean tome, but I can't hold it against you. You're holding something against me. What is it?

Asperger’s syndrome

亚斯伯格综合症，一种泛自闭症障碍，智力正常，其中有许多人智商偏高具有天赋。                  

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Aspergers, is a developmental disordercharacterized by significant difficulties in social interactionand nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It is an autism spectrum disorder(ASD) and differs from other disorders by relatively normallanguageand intelligence. Although not required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and unusual use of language are common. Symptoms usually begin before two years old and can last for a person's entire life.

 

White-collar crime

白领犯罪，以取得钱财（尤其是巨额）为动机之非暴力犯罪。

第一个提出「白领犯罪」概念者，是美国的社会学家暨犯罪学家爱德文·苏哲兰，在1939年。白领犯罪与企业犯罪、经济犯罪关系密切，因为白领阶级往往掌握企业营运上的重要角色，有较多机会从事多种与财务相关的犯罪。

White-collar crime refers to financially motivated nonviolent crimecommitted by business and government professionals. Within criminology, it was first defined by sociologist Edwin Sutherlandin 1939 as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation". Typical white-collar crimes include fraud,bribery,Ponzi schemes,insider trading,embezzlement,cybercrime,copyright infringement, money laundering,identity theft, and forgery.