[This is the headline over a report on the website of Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm. It reads as follows:]
Renowned investigative journalist John Pilger has added his name to a petition presently before the United Nations for a wide ranging inquiry into the Pan Am 103 event and its aftermath.
Pilger, who has earned and reinforced a reputation for campaigning journalism over five decades, is the latest to add his name to a list of signatories that already includes Archbiashop Desmond Tutu, Professor Noam Chomsky, Tam Dalyell, Professor Robert Black QC, Dr Jim Swire, Sir Teddy Taylor and Iain Mckie, amongst others.
Last week, UK print and broadcast media were requested en masse to endorse the petition, an invitation previously extended both to First Minister Alex Salmond and Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill, as well as the four United States Senators who had called for an investigation focusing on the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmad Al Megrahi.
"The petition presently before the UN has no agenda other than to seek the truth into the whole circumstances of the Pan Am 103 event and the debacle that has followed, and continues to this day," said The Firm's Editor, Steven Raeburn, one of the signatories to the petition.
"The list of those requested to and agreeing to back its aims is growing inexorably, and Pilger's reputation in support of truth and justice is peerless. Regardless of one's views on the events surrounding Lockerbie, too many questions do not yet have satisfactory answers, many of which may possibly have been supplied by the Scottish judicial process, had it not been halted.
"An honest and rigourous inquiry into all those events will surely help clear the stain on Scottish justice, and bring some comfort to those bereaved, who have had to suffer years in want of the truth. There is nothing to fear from such an inquiry, unless possibly you believe there is something to hide. The quicker an inquiry is called by those with power to do so, the quicker the answers will be found, and justice served."
[John Pilger has written on the Lockerbie case. Here is an example.]
Excellent news.
ReplyDeleteRecent events, involving the United States, have left Scots, and indeed the entire population of the UK, looking on while the US has ignored the existence of two separate governments here and attempted to involve itself officially in matters completely outwith its jurisdiction.
ReplyDeleteWorse still, many politicians at Holyrood and at Westminster have ignored to a large extent the enormity of this breach of international by the United States. Many UK newspapers have ignored it also.
In my opinion it is now time for the Scottish Government to make a public announcement that it intends to seek formal talks with the Westminster government designed to bring about a full international investigation into the trial and conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi. They should also announce that they wish the UN to assist both parties in taking forward this investigation.
Unlike the US we will not have to appeal to other countries for illegal intelligence information. The information we require is already in the public domain, starting with the findings of the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission which has already stated formally that there are, indeed, grounds to believe a miscarriage of justice could have occurred in this man's trial.
Let those who sneer, ridicule and express outrage about the "compassionate" route be confronted with issues which the Court of Appeal should already have dealt with long before now. Let them explain why they do not want to address these issues. Let the current Lord Advocate dare to oppose an investigation and let someone then present her with her job description which is to ensure the Scottish Justice System conducts itself justly.
Mr Salmond does indeed have powers available to him to make such an announcement. The Westminster government will almost certainly have to take it seriously. I genuinely believe Mr Salmond would immediately have the vast majority of the Scottish population behind him and, I suspect, the population of the rest of the UK.
There also needs to an inquiry into the corruption of the uk's "justice" system. Like Megrahi, I was the victim of three liar judges. A seriously ill harassment victim was corruptly suddenly evicted into homelessness by the liar judges Truman DJ, "honourable" McDuff and "Honourable" McKenna. Cheap not even clever lies, all 35/35 "mistakes" against the unrepresented defendant, fluke probability 1 in 3 billion. OJC said I should refer to police instead. Police eventually wrote back falsely claiming I should refer to OJC instead. Meanwhile these criminals are still sucking the taxpayer in their career of dispensing injustice. The most evil institution in the land.
ReplyDeleteUnlike prisoners, who are at least fed and housed and kept secure, evictees are treated far worse, just left to die in a cardboard box if they can find one.
Case 6BM74906, ECtHR appl 5406/08, more details at www.2020housing.co.uk.