Lightning Lee: British MMA legend left to languish in Moroccan prison. Rights groups demand inquiry.
London, UK – Legal advocacy organisations Due Process International and Detained in Dubai have called for an immediate Parliamentary Inquiry into the UK Government’s role in the foreign prosecution of British citizen Lee Murray, warning that the case sets a dangerous precedent for the outsourcing of British justice.
Lee Murray, a dual British-Moroccan national, was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in a Moroccan prison for the 2006 Securitas robbery in Kent, a crime committed entirely on UK soil. Extradition to the UK was barred by Moroccan law, but rather than pursue domestic prosecution or accept legal limits, UK authorities coordinated with Moroccan prosecutors, supplying full case files, police intelligence, narrative and evidence to support a local conviction.
“This is a clear-cut case of proxy prosecution,” according to Due Process International. “The UK Government bypassed its own courts, exported a British citizen’s trial to a foreign jurisdiction, and denied him the legal protections he would have received at home.”
The Moroccan trial was fraught with due process violations, including a sentencing escalation from 10 to 25 years during an appeal in which he was unable to contest evidence provided by the UK.
Critically, the evidence presented by the UK was never independently investigated by Moroccan authorities. Instead, it was taken at face value, and Mr Murray was sentenced as though it were true that he was the "ringleader" of the operation, an allegation he adamantly denies. “This is a serious human rights concern,” said Radha Stirling. “We cannot allow people to be sentenced on the basis of hearsay alone, especially in what appears to be a politically charged prosecution that ultimately coincided with enhanced UK-Morocco diplomatic cooperation. If this was a quid pro quo conviction, it must be fully investigated.”
Despite these issues, the UK Foreign Office initially misinformed both Parliament and Murray’s family by stating he had been convicted for drug offences, only later admitting the conviction was related to the UK robbery.
“The UK has a duty not only to protect its citizens abroad, but to refrain from facilitating prosecutions that breach international human rights standards,” said Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and CEO of Due Process International. “This is not just about one man, it’s about the UK setting a precedent that sidesteps its own justice system when politically convenient.”
Stirling, an internationally recognised Interpol and extradition expert and human rights advocate, added: “This kind of extraterritorial pursuit is deeply troubling. When the UK, a democratic nation, enables prosecutions abroad based solely on unverified claims, it sends the wrong message globally. What would happen if countries like Saudi Arabia or China adopted the same tactic? Supporting weak or opaque judicial systems, such as Morocco’s, while bypassing the UK’s own due process standards, is not only irresponsible, it risks legitimising authoritarian practices under the guise of legal cooperation.”
DPI highlighted the following human rights concerns:
· UK orchestrated a foreign prosecution using UK evidence without extradition
· Trial violated fair trial norms, including absence of legal representation
· Evidence accepted without independent investigation; defendant sentenced as alleged ringleader
· Misleading information provided to MPs and the public
· No prisoner transfer permitted despite existing PTA
· Domestic remedies now exhausted in Morocco
Due Process International and Detained in Dubai are urging MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights to launch a formal inquiry into:
1. The UK’s role in facilitating the Moroccan prosecution
2. Whether UK conduct violated its human rights obligations
3. Whether this amounted to a quid pro quo tied to broader UK-Morocco diplomatic or trade agreements
4. The implications for other British nationals abroad
“Lee’s case is a litmus test,” Stirling added. “If the UK can engineer a prosecution abroad when extradition fails, it opens the door to future abuses, not just in Morocco, but globally.”
Lee's children have called for clemency. They hope to be reunited with their father sooner than 2035.
Stirling, who is actively assisting Lee Murray and his family through Due Process International, is also urging the UK Government to advocate for Mr Murray’s release, and to formally inform the Moroccan authorities that Britain would support a Presidential Pardon in light of the extraordinary circumstances. "Lee has now served the better part of two decades in prison, far longer than he likely would have served had he been prosecuted in the UK," she said. "He is suffering from worsening medical conditions and has expressed his wish to be reunited with his family, and to focus on building a positive and productive life. It is time for compassion, and for the UK to show leadership by righting this wrong."
