Binyam Mohamed torture summary parallels Lockerbie secrecy

[I am grateful to Peter Biddulph for drawing my attention to the following item on his and Jim Swire's Lockerbie website.]

Britain's so-called "democracy" reeks with the stench of the transatlantic relationship. Under threats from US officials who are "not pleased" by a decision by British judges, David Miliband is keeping secret US - UK connivance in the torture of Binyam Mohamed. For Miliband the exposure of evil takes second place to the convenience of US intelligence agents and their government. In al-Megrahi's second appeal, documents relating to the fragment of the Lockerbie bomb were kept secret by Miliband for the same reason. Truth remains less important for Miliband than "cooperation in intelligence matters".

We have always maintained that the two key elements of the conviction of al-Megrahi are:

1. The identification of al-Megrahi: In an extraordinary development in 2005, Maltese shopkeeper Toni Gauci was exposed as an unreliable witness by the man who in 1991 indicted Megrahi, former Scottish Lord Advocate Peter Fraser. In Fraser's words, Gauci was "an apple short of a picnic." And yet the judges trusted Gauci's contradictory and confused evidence, and ignored the fact that Gauci was on a promise of a multi-million dollar reward if al-Megrahi was convicted. It is now documented and proved that Gauci was paid at least $2 million for his evidence, and his brother Paul $1 million.

2. The alleged bomb timer fragment: Strong doubts surround the fragment and the CIA background under which it emerged in [Kielder] Forest. Was it planted to frame Libya for the crime? The fragment's label had been altered by unknown persons. And its finding and examination by Dr Thomas Hayes proved highly suspicious.

Now more than ever it is imperative that an independent inquiry take place, to examine events before and after the night of the bombing. The opportunity for a second appeal is lost, but the demand for the truth in this affair remains.