Last week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) refused to accept the appeal of their ruling allowing for the extradition of Babar Ahmad and four others to the United States. This decision, from a court whose very purpose is to ensure human rights are upheld, has been widely condemned by human rights groups and advocates, who are convinced the decision will do just the opposite. The appeal was largely based on the fact that if the men are extradited to the US, they will face years of torturous solitary confinement in America's notorious maximum security prisons.

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