- Concerns that Jersey police have provided information that could lead to execution of two defendants in Thailand.
- Two Burmese nationals accused of killing Jerseyman David Miller and Hannah Witheridge from Norfolk.
- Human rights group Reprieve takes up the case on behalf of pair accused of murder.
HUMAN rights activists have expressed concern that British police forces – including the States police – have provided information that could lead to the execution of two men accused of murdering a Jerseyman and a woman from the UK.
Under British government protocol, police and officials are not allowed to provide information to foreign jurisdictions if the defendant faces capital punishment.
Today, human rights group Reprieve, which has been working on the case since September when Islander David Miller (24) and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge from Norfolk were killed on the Island of Koh Tao, have said that they have received information from the Foreign Office that four British police forces may have provided evidence that has reached Thai authorities.
The investigations have attracted huge controversy following allegations that two Burmese men were tortured into confessing to their killings.
The suspects – bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun – later retracted their confessions but were formally charged and face the death penalty if they are found guilty.
Their trial is due to start in July.
Last year, the Metropolitan police confirmed that they would not disclose any information with the Burmese men’s defence team or Thai prosecuting authorities after officers travelled to Thailand to oversee the investigation.
Speaking to the JEP, Zoe Bedford, casework lawyer for the human rights group Reprieve, said the organisation had received information that Thai police had asked officers from Jersey, Hampshire, Essex and Hertfordshire to interview Britons who been in the island at the time of the murders.
‘We had been assured by the Met that no information was being shared with Thai authorities that could lead to the death penalty but then we found out from the Foreign Office that a number of partner agencies and forces had apparently informally spoken about the case,’ she said.
Reprieve is a small organisation of courageous and committed human rights defenders.
Founded in 1999 by British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, they provide free legal and investigative support to some of the world’s most vulnerable people: British, European and other nationals facing execution, and those victimised by states’ abusive counter-terror policies – rendition, torture, extrajudicial imprisonment and extrajudicial killing.
They fight their clients’ cases in courts around the world, and also work with the media and public to advocate on their behalf, encouraging public debate of human rights issues.
Based in London, they are currently working on behalf of 70 people facing the death penalty in 16 countries, and 13 men imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay. They are also acting on behalf of around 10 men detained in secret prisons around the world.
Their vision is: ‘a world free of execution, torture and detention without due process’.
Source: reprieve.org.uk
However in a statement the States police, which usually follows British protocol, said they have had no direct contact with Thai authorities.
‘Following a request from Interpol, the States Police obtained a witness statement which was then sent back to Interpol.
‘We have had no direct contact with Thai authorities. Our Family Liaison Officers continue to work in support of David Miller’s family,’ the statement read.
Meanwhile, Leigh Day, a specialist law firm which is supporting the Burmese men, have written a letter to the Metropolitan police stating that sharing evidence with Thai prosecutors without seeking assurances that the death penalty would not be imposed would be ‘unlawful’.
The document, which has been shown to the JEP by Reprieve, said: ‘We are very concerned by the indication that a number of police forces have been providing assistance to Thai authorities.’
The lawyers have asked for a full breakdown of which, if any, forces provided information to Thai prosecutors, the details of any statements that were given and any copies of reassurances they received that the death penalty would not be imposed.
