Can you imagine being imprisoned far from your family and forcefully extradited to a country in which you would undoubtedly face solitary confinement and, worse still, in some cases, even torture? For most of us this reality is as far away from our lives as it could possibly be. But for others, it’s very real.

Differing from deportation, which is enforced by the British Government, those facing extradition are doing so under the request of a foreign country. They’re held in prison until the proceedings are finalised and a decision has been made. This process can take weeks, months or even years. If the decision is made to extradite, the individual often returns to a country at the risk of confronting torture or solitary confinement in prison.

Imprisoned away from his family with thoughts of his agonizing future in mind, the individual facing extradition will often experience severe depression and even a mental breakdown. If pleading their innocence, they can face sentences of up to life plus 100 years and with a conviction rate of 99% , its unsurprising that many prefer to forgo their innocence and plead guilty, in the hope of receiving a far lighter sentence. His family now have to fend for themselves, usually leaving the mother to generate an income and maintain the household single-handed. The family may often struggle to visit their loved one due to financial and logistical issues and if the decision to extradite is made, they must bear the burden of expensive flights, the inconvenient and extremely limited prison visiting regulations. In some countries prisoners are only afforded at 15-minute phone call once a month at extortionate rates.

The reality of being detained abroad is daunting: isolation, imprisonment and having very limited contact.

Then there are those who fare even worse than those extradited, being detained indefinitely without charge in the likes of detention facilities in Iraq, Guantanamo, Bagram and in other regimes in the Middle East. Many of these may have been brutally tortured and face inhuman and degrading treatment on a daily basis. If not in solitary confinement, they may face overcrowding and poor conditions. Contact with their families in the UK will be infrequent, if at all.