[This is the headline over an article in today's edition of The Sunday Times. It reads in part:]
The mother of Yvonne Fletcher, the policewoman shot dead outside the Libyan embassy in London almost 25 years ago, has urged the British government to allow the Lockerbie bomber to serve the rest of his sentence in Libya.
Queenie Fletcher, 75, said it would be right for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, who is suffering from advanced prostate cancer, to be allowed to return home. (...)
“I know he is ill and I think he should be returned to a prison in Libya so his family can visit him,” said Fletcher.
“The appeal could still go ahead in Scotland, but he could stay in prison in Libya.
“It’s got to be a fair exchange, so Yvonne’s case can be closed. I’d like the police here to be given permission to interview whoever they’ve got to interview in Libya and see whoever they need to for someone to be brought to trial.” (...)
Megrahi lost a previous appeal against his conviction in 2002. However, in 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred his case back to court after deciding that his conviction was not safe. A bail application was refused last year despite claims by Megrahi’s defence team that he did not have long to live. The court ruled that he did not meet the requirement of having less than three months to live.
Tony Kelly, Megrahi’s lawyer, said: “I can’t say anything about [Queenie Fletcher's] request in terms of allowing detectives access to Libya. But in relation to her comments about my client being allowed to return to Libya, this is a testament to Mrs Fletcher’s humanity and compassion.”
[The full article can be read here. Two points of clarification: 1. A transfer of Megrahi back to Libya could not in law take place unless he abandoned his present appeal. He cannot be repatriated and the appeal continue (see the immediately preceding post). 2. For bail to be granted by the court pending an appeal, there is no legal requirement that the appellant have less than three months to live. That is a rule of practice, not of law, that is applied where a prisoner applies to the Scottish Government for release on compassionate grounds. If Megrahi were to be granted bail by the court, or compassionate release by the Scottish Government, his appeal could continue and he could live with his family in Scotland during the appeal proceedings.]
Just as Lord Peter Fraser's smearing of Dr Swire and the ensuing biased report in the Sunday Times, the article today in the Sunday Times is part of the UK government's highly sophisticated propaganda machine to sway public opinion into accepting the transfer of Megrahi, which I believe is a forgone conclusion. I have no doubt Alex Salmond, being a Privy Councillor, will agree or has already agreed the transfer which will leave the victims' relatives without the knowledge of who killed members of their families. It will leave the Libyan people who suffered severely under sanctions with no legal redress and continuing to live under shadow of guilt.
ReplyDeleteTo use people particularly Dr Swire in this way to hide government manipulation of the Lockerbie investigation and trial is disgusting.
In response to the Sunday Times article "Queenie Fletcher has urged that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi be returned to Libya", I have posted the following comment:
ReplyDelete"According to Scots law professor Robert Black, Mr Megrahi would have to abandon his Lockerbie bombing appeal, if he were to be repatriated to Libya.
However, if the Scottish Government granted him compassionate release in Scotland, Megrahi could proceed with the appeal (starting 27 April 2009)."
It remains to be seen whether timesonline publishes the comment.