Reactions
In April 2003, Baker's mother Iris publicly stated her belief that Nick Baker was innocent and had been framed. She subsequently led a campaign against her son's allegedly unfair trial, for better prison treatment and more recently for a transfer back to a UK prison. Campaign actions including presenting a petition signed by more than 1,000 people, including several Members of European Parliament, to Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street.
In July 2003, Lady Ludford called for Tony Blair to raise the issue during a summit with his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi though he did not do so. A question was raised in the British House of Commons in 2004 regarding progress of the case and Baker's health and confinement conditions.
The International Bar Association cited problems specific to the Baker case, particularly the lack of any recordings of interrogations in a 2006 report. Fair Trials Abroad, director Stephen Jakobi said Baker's case raised major concerns regarding the Japanese justice system and its compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and pointed out Senrikinran University linguistics Professor Makiko Mizuno's criticism of the Japanese judiciary's understanding of what constitutes an able interpreter.
Read more about this topic: Nicholas John Baker
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