Rights groups urge UK parliamentary inquiry into MMA fighter Lee Murray's conviction in Morocco
In a statement on July 16, the two organisations argue that the crime was committed entirely on UK soil, and that when extradition to the UK was blocked under Moroccan law, British authorities provided Moroccan prosecutors with police intelligence, case files, and evidence to secure a conviction abroad.
«This is a clear-cut case of proxy prosecution», said Due Process International. «The UK Government bypassed its own courts, exported a British citizen's trial to a foreign jurisdiction, and denied him the legal protections he would have received at home».
Radha Stirling, CEO of DPI and founder of Detained in Dubai, highlighted «serious human rights concerns», including alleged due process violations during the Moroccan trial, such as the absence of legal counsel during the appeal that saw Murray's sentence increased from 10 to 25 years. «If this was a quid pro quo conviction, it must be fully investigated», she said.
The organisations are urging UK MPs on Foreign Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights to examine whether the UK violated its obligations, particularly amid what they describe as «enhanced diplomatic cooperation» with Morocco.
«This is not just about one man», Stirling added. «If the UK can engineer a prosecution abroad when extradition fails, it opens the door to future abuses—not just in Morocco, but globally».
DPI has also called on the UK government to support a presidential pardon for Murray: «Lee has now served the better part of two decades in prison, far longer than he likely would have if tried in the UK. It is time for compassion and for the UK to right this wrong».
Awaits freedom in his Moroccan cell
Born in London in 1977, Lee Murray grew up in the UK and spent his early years apart from his Moroccan father. As a teenager, Murray became involved in crime alongside childhood friend and accomplice Paul Allen, engaging in drug dealing and armed robberies. He had his first conviction as a minor for possession of cocaine and cannabis.
Despite his run-ins with the law, Murray also pursued a promising career in mixed martial arts (MMA), gaining notoriety as a fierce competitor in the UK fight scene. However, his criminal ties ultimately overshadowed his sporting ambitions.
The February 2006 Securitas robbery marked a turning point. Murray, accused of orchestrating the heist, fled to Morocco four days after the gang made off with £53 million from a cash depot in Tonbridge, Kent. Seeking to avoid extradition, he sought Moroccan citizenship. On June 25, 2006, he was arrested in Rabat in a joint operation by Moroccan and British authorities.
In 2010, a Moroccan court sentenced Murray to 10 years in prison. That sentence was later increased to 25 years on appeal.
«There's no happiness where I am», he said in a 2018 interview from his prison cell in Tifelt. «But I suppose I can say I'm happy to still be alive. (…) There have been times when I was sitting in a room next to people with multiple death sentences, and in those moments, your own problems suddenly seem very small».
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