S teve Bryant's hunger strike (CM 7-13 Nov) must surely not
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be allowed to turn into a tragedy. There seem to be so many British drivers in prison abroad for alleged drugs offences but I can't think of one where guilt has been clearly established. The only reason Steve was convicted is because Moroccan law insists possession of drugs is enough to get you jailed, even if you had no knowledge that they were there. Other cases of British drivers in France and Spain have petered out eventually in not guilty verdicts, but not until people's lives have been ruined by long periods in jail. Compensation? Not likely.
When is someone going to do something about the situation? As it stands every driver on foreign trips runs the risk of being arrested and imprisoned without proper evidence. Our Government just bleats about diplomatic channels and does nothing. There surely has to be some international agreement which recognises that drivers cannot be held completely responsible for loads which they often haven't even seen. It seems that authorities all over the world are more concerned with getting a conviction—any conviction—than actually catching the drug smugglers. David Hopkins, London,