Albanian gangster fights extradition to ‘overcrowded' jails
An Albanian armed robber who went on the run in the UK after an Italian court jailed him for more than ten years is fighting extradition by arguing that Italy's prisons are overcrowded.
Edmond Arra, 35, has been detained in England for more than a year. He claims that extradition would breach his rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), even though UK prisons are so full that last year the government released more than 16,000 inmates early.
Arra's first legal attempt to block his extradition was dismissed at Westminster magistrates' court in January but he has been allowed to appeal to the High Court. He will remain in the UK until all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.
The
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
13 hours ago
- CBS News
Abrego Garcia's lawyers ask Maryland judge to fine Trump administration for contempt
Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia have asked a federal judge in Maryland to impose fines against the Trump administration for contempt, arguing that it flagrantly ignored court orders for several weeks to return him to the U.S. from El Salvador. Abrego Garcia's attorneys said the administration claimed to be powerless to retrieve him, even while it secretly built a human smuggling case against him. The U.S. brought Abrego Garcia to a federal court in Nashville, Tennessee, last week to face those charges. "The Government's defiance has not been subtle," the attorneys said in a filing late Wednesday. "It has been vocal and sustained and flagrant." Request to force the release of federal documents The attorneys are also asking U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis to compel the release of documents the federal government withheld by claiming they contain protected state secrets. Or as an alternative, the lawyers suggested a special master to investigate the government's "willful noncompliance" of court orders. "What the Government improperly seeks to hide must be exposed for all to see," Abrego Garcia's attorneys wrote. Their request came a day after the Trump administration said it will ask Xinis to dismiss the case, with U.S. attorneys describing recent accusations by Abrego Garcia's attorneys as baseless, desperate and disappointing. "But the proof is in the pudding — Defendants have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States just as they were ordered to do," they wrote. Contempt was possible, legal experts said Legal experts said last month that the Abrego Garcia case may be headed for contempt. And the request by his attorneys adds to the ongoing friction between the White House and the courts during President Donald Trump's second term. Courts can hold parties to civil litigation or criminal cases in contempt for disobeying their orders. The penalty can take the form of fines or other civil punishments, or even prosecution and jail time, if pursued criminally. But contempt processes are slow and deliberative, and, when the government's involved, there's usually a resolution before penalties kick in. How the Abrego Garcia case got to this point The U.S. mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia to an El Salvador prison in March. The expulsion violated a U.S. immigration judge's order in 2019 that shielded him from deportation to his native country because he likely faced gang persecution there. Abrego Garcia's American wife sued, prompting Xinis to order his return on April 4. The Supreme Court ruled April 10 that the administration must work to bring him back. Arguments ensued over the next several weeks about whether the Trump administration was following those orders or not. Trump also said publicly that he could return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. with a call to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. Xinis ordered U.S. attorneys to submit documents and testimony to show what the government had done to follow her orders. The Trump administration claimed that much of that information is protected under the state secrets privilege. The judge has not ruled on that matter.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Straits Times
Muhammed Yusoff, former aide of Malaysian PM Anwar, acquitted of drug trafficking
KUALA LUMPUR: Former research assistant Muhammed Yusoff Rawther walked out a free man after the High Court here acquitted him of two charges of drug trafficking and possession of imitation firearms. Justice Muhammad Jamil Hussin ruled that the prosecution has failed to prove a prima facie case against the 32-year-old. In his judgment, the judge said the prosecution had failed to prove that the accused had control, custody and possession of two imitation pistols and 305g of cannabis. He noted that a car, in which the items were found, belonged to Mr Yusoff, and the car keys and remote control were in his possession. 'It is undeniable that he was near the car and opened the door when the police conducted their operation. But that does not mean we can conclude that the accused has exclusive control of the car, nor does he have custody and control over the pistols and the drugs,' he said in his decision at the end of the prosecution's case yesterday. Justice Jamil also said the accused's behaviour during the operation was consistent with that of a person with no knowledge of the items found in the car. After he was arrested, Mr Yusoff told the police that he was 'a victim who was framed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim', the judge said. 'However, the police did not carry out any investigation to verify this claim. The failure to investigate has denied the accused the right to a fair trial. 'Therefore, it is not safe for the court to call the accused to enter his defence. 'I hereby make the order to discharge and acquit the accused without calling for his defence,' the judge added. On Sept 12, 2024, Mr Yusoff was charged with trafficking 305g of cannabis. The drug was found in his vehicle near a surau at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters at 10.15am on Sept 6, 2024. He was charged under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment and at least 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction. He was also charged with possessing two imitation firearms by the roadside near a condominium in Jalan Bukit Kiara at 9.25am the same day. The charge was framed under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act, which provides for a maximum penalty of one year in prison, a fine of up to RM5,000 (S$1,500), or both, upon conviction. Mr Yusoff, who wore a striped long-sleeve shirt, was greeted by a large group of people outside of the court complex after his release. He told reporters that he was grateful for the court's decision and thanked his family, lawyers and others who supported him. Throughout the trial, Mr Yusoff was detained at the Sungai Buloh prison as the offence he was accused of did not allow for bail. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Libyan Express
10-05-2025
- Libyan Express
Libya faces growing information crisis
Libya's Truth Crisis: How a Collapsing Information Ecosystem Threatens Democratic Recovery By Mohammed Kashada, Senior Analysis Editor Libya faces a crisis beyond its fractured governance and economic challenges: a profound deterioration in societal awareness that undermines the possibility of democratic progress. This deficit in critical information processing has created conditions where authoritarian figures operate with functional impunity despite documented abuses. Evidence of this phenomenon emerged starkly last week when footage surfaced showing parliamentarian Ibrahim al-Darsi in captivity after his year-long disappearance. The recording depicted the elected official in restraints, visibly distressed, appealing to Khalifa Haftar and his son for release—material consistent with reports from human rights organisations about detention practices in eastern Libya. Officials from Haftar's government quickly issued strong denials, claiming the video was an 'artificial intelligence manipulation.' This explanation, though technically questionable, spread widely across Libya's fragmented media landscape and social platforms. According to our sources, the denial gained significant support despite offering no concrete evidence. This pattern repeated days later when an Italian military aircraft landed at Misurata Air College as part of established bilateral cooperation agreements. Pro-Haftar media outlets rapidly characterised this routine diplomatic exchange as the arrival of 'unauthorised migrants from the United States'—a narrative demonstrably false yet widely circulated through social media networks. These events reveal a troubling trend in Libya after the conflict: information manipulation has become a refined tool for controlling the population. As public understanding declines, advances in communication technology—which should make things more transparent—are instead twisted into channels for artificial storylines crafted to strengthen the grip of those in power. Security specialists studying the region believe these information campaigns do more than just divert attention. By deliberately destroying any shared understanding of facts, those in power make it practically impossible to hold anyone accountable, no matter what political system is supposedly guiding Libya's transition. Foreign partners trying to help stabilize Libya need to understand that lasting solutions must tackle this basic problem of distorted awareness. Even the best-designed voting systems and government reforms can't work properly when large segments of voters are living in completely different versions of reality. Fixing Libya's information landscape might be the most ignored but crucial part of getting proper government working again. If we don't address this, the country will keep going in circles where dreams of democracy stay forever out of reach—not because people openly reject democracy, but through something more insidious: a carefully engineered version of reality.
