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Batten fighting Symeou extradition

Tuesday, 5th May 2009

A young London man facing a manslaughter charge in Greece can still count on support from UKIP as he faces one last chance to fight extradition on a European Arrest Warrant.

Greek authorities are wanting to extradite Andrew Symeou over the death of Jonathan Hiles, 18, in a Zante nightclub in 2007. The 20-year-old from Enfield has always denied any involvement in the incident and was only implied in statements from two of his friends which were given under duress and later retracted.

Speaking on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice last Friday after Andrew's latest appeal was rejected, Sophie Symeou, his sister, (pictured below with father Frank and Gerard Batten MEP) warned: “None of us are safe in the hands of the EU.”

Andrew now has one last route of appeal, to the House of Lords, before being sent to Greece to face trial.

The case against him has been attacked by Fair Trials International chief exectuive Jago Russell, who said: "Even the most superficial examination shows that the case against Andrew is built on a flawed police investigation, mistaken identity and conflicting evidence. There is no sense in surrendering this young man to Greece to fight this flimsy case in a foreign court".

UKIP's London MEP Gerard Batten, who has supported the Symeou family throughout the trials process said of the European Arrest Warrant: “Under this appalling law, all are liberties are under threat.

"Today it is Andrew but it could be anybody. This system, devised by a British Liberal Democrat, Graham Watson, means that anybody can be extradited to any EU country on the mere say-so of a foreign magistrate. No evidence needs to be shown.

“A thousand years of British judicial independence has been destroyed by this EU imposition, and the main parties refuse to act. Surely it is the first duty of the British Government to protect the rights and liberties of British citizens?”

For a full account of the case so far, click here.

See Mr Batten address the European Parliament on the Symeou case below:

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