NewzFergie Chambers faces Spanish court fight over US extradition request The Spanish government has come under fire for allowing the extradition case of prominent American activist and Gaza humanitarian donor Fergie Chambers to proceed to the country’s courts, after declining to block the US request at the preliminary stage. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz described Tuesday’s decision as “purely procedural” and said the government had conducted only a formal examination of the request. Chambers’ lawyers will now contest the extradition before Spain’s Audiencia Nacional, after which the government will take a final decision.
Baltasar Garzon, lead counsel for Chambers, said the decision “sets a dangerous precedent regarding the defence of the Palestinian cause”. Garzon, the former Spanish judge who pursued Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet under the principle of universal jurisdiction, added: “Spain cannot defend international law, the rights of the Palestinian people and the protection of those who provide humanitarian aid while at the same time allowing a request to proceed with an extradition that shows clear signs of political persecution by the US Government.” (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Spanish politicians have also criticised the decision. Ione Belarra, a member of Spain’s Congress of Deputies and secretary general of Podemos, described it as “devastating”.
“This decision is devastating not just for Fergie Chambers and his family, but for the pro-Palestine movement in Spain and across Europe,” she said. “Fergie Chambers is the first political prisoner in Spanish history being imprisoned because of his support for Palestine. Sanchez’s government has chosen to keep him imprisoned by giving the green light for Trump’s political persecution to proceed to the courts.” Chambers, an heir to the Cox family fortune, was arrested on the Spanish island of Ibiza in July pursuant to a US extradition request.
According to the indictment, US prosecutors have charged Chambers with international money laundering, riot and conspiracy to riot.
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