HAM based human rights charity 'Fair Trials Abroad' organised a special victims' day in parliament last week, hosted by Twickenham MP Vincent Cable.

The event, last Thursday, was geared towards highlighting the plight of Britons held in jail overseas.

Dr Cable hosted the meeting and spoke in support of the Greek plane spotters recently sentenced in Kalamata, including Graham Arnold whose parents live in Whitton.

Three of the plane spotters were on hand to talk about their ordeal at the hands of the Greek justice system.

The charity's founder Stephen Jakobi was very critical of the Foreign Office which he said was often very weak in defending the rights of Britons detained overseas.

He singled out lorry drivers detained in France and Spain on very weak grounds and the 'appalling' case of John Stillman, a deaf charity worker who faces a long prison sentence in India on trumped up drugs charges.

Dr Cable said: This small group does fine work providing legal help to Britons in courts overseas. In some cases British people do behave themselves crim-inally when they are away from the UK and must face the consequences of their actions.

But others are entirely innocent and find themselves in trouble because of local politics and corrupt or indifferent legal systems.

"Unfortunately the Foreign Office very often lets them down because it is too concerned with buttering up the government concerned."

Fair Trials Abroad would like to hear from any local law graduates, preferably with languages, interested in helping man their Twickenham office on a volunteer basis. Call Mr Jakobi on 8332 2800.

May 28, 2002 17:30