UK to not block death penalty for for ISIS member Alexanda Kotey and one other

According to the BBC, The UK would not oppose the use of the death penalty if two alleged Islamic state members were extradited to the US, the home secretary says. In a letter leaked to the Telegraph, Sajid Javid said he would seek no assurances about the sentences. Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, from west London, were captured in Syria in January. Labour said the UK had “unilaterally abandoned” its opposition to the death penalty. Alexanda Amon Kotey is a former British citizen who was captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces, who said he was fleeing from the collapse of Daesh, the short-lived “Islamic State”. He has been designated a terrorist by the United States and identified in the press as one of the four Jihadi Beatles who took part in Daesh atrocities. Kotey has denied being a member of “the Beatles” but admits joining the Daesh terrorist group. Born in Britain to a Ghanaian father and Greek Cypriot mother, Kotey spent his youth in Shepherd’s Bush. The Daily Telegraph reports he is a supporter of Queens Park Rangers F.C. and dreamed of joining the team when he grew up. He is believed to have converted to Islam in his early twenties and left two young children in Britain. For years Britain sought assurances from foreign governments that the death penalty would not be used in cases where the UK provided information or extradited suspects. Number 10 said it was “a long-standing position of the government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle”. But it added that in this case it was “a priority to make sure that these men face criminal prosecution”. The PM was aware of the letter and discussions with the US on this issue were continuing, Number 10 said.]]>