Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one of the world’s most respected churchmen, has thrown his weight behind Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
Archbishop Tutu’s backing comes hard on the heels of similar support from fellow South African Nelson Mandela, as revealed in The Sunday Post two weeks ago.
In a message sent to the Scottish Government Archbishop Tutu also claimed much of the outcry about the release had been caused by the welcome received by al-Megrahi in Libya.
He said this issue should be kept separate from the decision to release him.
He also called on families and friends of those who died at Lockerbie to show compassion to al-Megrahi, who has been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer.
“I believe the Scottish Justice Secretary’s decision to release Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds is to be commended,” Archbishop Tutu said in his message.
“One understands the anguish of family members and friends of the victims but they honour their memory more by being compassionate than retributive,” he added.
“The outcry has been caused not so much by the release as by the welcome he got in Libya. These two issues should be separated.”
A spokesman for First Minister Alex Salmond said Archbishop Tutu’s remarks were welcome and added, “More and more people in Scotland support the decision.
“Approval has moved forward to 45 per cent, as opposition has declined to the same level, and there is substantial international opinion in favour.
“In rejecting the Prisoner Transfer Application, and granting compassionate release to al-Megrahi to be sent back to Libya to die, the Justice Secretary took the right decision for the right reasons.”
Archbishop Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work against apartheid in South Africa.
In 1996, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established to investigate human rights violations during apartheid.
[The above is an excerpt from a report in today's edition of The Sunday Post, Scotland's largest-circulation Sunday newspaper.
Many other newspapers have now picked up The Sunday Post's exclusive, including The Herald, whose report can be read here.]
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Tutu. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Tutu. Sort by date Show all posts
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Sunday, 26 December 2021
RIP Archbishop Desmond Tutu
[I am saddened to learn of the death today at the age of 90 of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who was a convinced and long-time supporter of the Justice for Megrahi campaign. What follows is an article posted today on Jim Swire and Peter Biddulph's Lockerbie Truth website:]
Today's sad news about the death of former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu holds a feature common to much of the media in the UK and USA.
The selective amnesia of certain media editors is clear: Effusively praise those issues in which Tutu agrees with your agenda, and ignore those in which he opposes.
And so it is, once again, with the campaign for an inquiry into the factors surrounding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and subsequent trial.
On the 15th March 2015 we reported that a petition had been submitted to the Scottish Parliament by the Justice for Megrahi group of bereaved relatives. That petition was rapidly and publicly supported by prominent personalities around the world. The petition, even after six years, still runs current on the Scottish Parliament's agenda.
Among those signing in support of the petition was Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He proved to be a strong supporter of the imprisoned Baset al-Megrahi and a South African colleague Nelson Mandela. Mandela's support for al-Megrahi, too, remains ignored by the main British and US media.
On 15th March 2015 we published the following post: [Names in alphabetical order].
Campaign for the acquittal of Baset Al-Megrahi and an official inquiry into Lockerbie
A petition requesting that the Scottish authorities undertake a comprehensive inquiry into Lockerbie is supported and signed by the following world renowned personalities. All support the campaign for acquittal of Baset Al-Megrahi, who was in 2000 convicted for the murder of 270 people on Pan Am 103.
Kate Adie was chief news correspondent for the BBC, covering several war zones
on risky assignments. Currently hosts the BBC Radio 4 programme
From Our Own Correspondent.
Professor Noam Chomsky has spent most of his career at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is currently Professor Emeritus,
and has authored over 100 books. In a 2005 poll was voted
the "world's top public intellectual".
Tam Dalyell, former Member of British Parliament and Father of the House.
An eminent speaker who throughout his career refused to be prevented
from speaking the truth to powerful administrations.
Christine Grahame MSP, determined advocate of the Lockerbie campaign.
Ian Hislop, editor of Private Eye magazine.
THE FULL LIST OF SIGNATORIES
Ms Kate Adie (Former Chief News Correspondent for BBC News).
Mr John Ashton (Author of ‘Megrahi: You are my Jury’ and co-author of ‘Cover Up of Convenience’).
Mr David Benson (Actor/author of the play ‘Lockerbie: Unfinished Business’).
Mrs Jean Berkley (Mother of Alistair Berkley: victim of Pan Am 103).
Mr Peter Biddulph (Lockerbie tragedy researcher).
Mr Benedict Birnberg (Retired senior partner of Birnberg Peirce & Partners).
Professor Robert Black QC (‘Architect’ of the Kamp van Zeist Trial).
Mr Paul Bull (Close friend of Bill Cadman: killed on Pan Am 103).
Professor Noam Chomsky (Human rights, social and political commentator).
Mr Tam Dalyell (UK MP: 1962-2005. Father of the House: 2001-2005).
Mr Ian Ferguson (Co-author of ‘Cover Up of Convenience’).
Dr David Fieldhouse (Police surgeon present at the Pan Am 103 crash site).
Mr Robert Forrester (Secretary of Justice for Megrahi).
Ms Christine Grahame MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament).
Mr Ian Hamilton QC (Advocate, author and former university rector).
Mr Ian Hislop (Editor of ‘Private Eye’).
Fr Pat Keegans (Lockerbie parish priest on 21st December 1988).
Ms A L Kennedy (Author).
Dr Morag Kerr (Secretary Depute of Justice for Megrahi).
Mr Andrew Killgore (Former US Ambassador to Qatar).
Mr Moses Kungu (Lockerbie councillor on the 21st of December 1988).
Mr Adam Larson (Editor and proprietor of ‘The Lockerbie Divide’).
Mr Aonghas MacNeacail (Poet and journalist).
Mr Eddie McDaid (Lockerbie commentator).
Mr Rik McHarg (Communications hub coordinator: Lockerbie crash sites).
Mr Iain McKie (Retired Superintendent of Police).
Mr Marcello Mega (Journalist covering the Lockerbie incident).
Ms Heather Mills (Reporter for ‘Private Eye’).
Rev’d John F Mosey (Father of Helga Mosey: victim of Pan Am 103).
Mr Len Murray (Retired solicitor).
Cardinal Keith O’Brien (Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh and Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church).
Mr Denis Phipps (Aviation security expert).
Mr John Pilger (Campaigning human rights journalist).
Mr Steven Raeburn (Editor of ‘The Firm’).
Dr Tessa Ransford OBE (Poetry Practitioner and Adviser).
Mr James Robertson (Author).
Mr Kenneth Roy (Editor of ‘The Scottish Review’).
Dr David Stevenson (Retired medical specialist and Lockerbie commentator).
Dr Jim Swire (Father of Flora Swire: victim of Pan Am 103).
Sir Teddy Taylor (UK MP: 1964-2005. Former Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland).
Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Winner).
Mr Terry Waite CBE (Former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury and hostage negotiator).
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Desmond Tutu's message and a fitting way to mark Mandela Day
[Nobel Peace Prize
winner Desmond Tutu, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, has released a
message to the people of Scotland welcoming plans to mark Mandela Day on 18
July. The press
release issued by the Scottish Government contains the following:]
In his message, which First Minister Alex Salmond highlighted
during First Minister’s Questions today, Archbishop Tutu says:
“Scotland and South Africa have
a strong historic connection, which was especially evident during the
anti-apartheid struggle, when, in 1981, Glasgow was the first city in the world
to award Nelson Mandela the freedom of the city.
“I am thus delighted that
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, the Scottish Government and the people
of Scotland are marking Mandela Day by working with Action for Southern Africa
– the successor organisation of the anti-apartheid movement – and highlighting
the work and enduring legacy of Nelson Mandela.
“The overarching objective of
Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world
for the better, and in doing so to build a global movement for good. (…)
Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs, said:
“We welcome Archbishop Tutu’s
warm message of support for the First Minister, the Scottish Government and
ACTSA [Action for Southern Africa] Scotland’s plans for Mandela Day, and his
call for as many people as possible to mark the day. (…)
“The Scottish Government will mark Mandela Day on
18th July, and I urge all to remember the great leadership of Nelson Mandela,
who is an inspiration to people around the world.”
[Given that Archbishop Tutu is a Justice
for Megrahi signatory, and given the role that Nelson Mandela played in facilitating a Lockerbie trial (and the interest he took in Abdelbaset Megrahi's fate thereafter) would it not be entirely appropriate and gracious
for the Scottish Government to mark Mandela Day by announcing the independent
inquiry into the Megrahi prosecution and conviction that the Archbishop,
along with the other signatories, has called for?]
Friday, 7 December 2012
Scottish Government solicited support for Megrahi release
[The following is taken from a report published this afternoon on the Daily Record website:]
Emails released under freedom of information legislation, have revealed how the Scottish Government asked public figures to endorse the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
The documents show that First Minister Alex Salmond's advisers emailed the former South African leader's office, as well as former Irish president Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu asking for them to consider issuing a public statement.
US businessman Donald Trump has already revealed that he was asked, but refused, to put his name to a prepared statement saying he was "certain" the release was made for good reasons.
The Government's requests came shortly after the controversial decision to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in August 2009.
Megrahi, who had cancer, died in May this year. He was sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of a US airliner over the Scottish town in 1988, which claimed 270 lives.
A template email was sent to the offices of Mr Mandela and Archbishop Tutu, with personalised references to their involvement or interest in the case.
The email sent on August 26 2009 to the Nelson Mandela Foundation stated: "Given his ongoing close involvement in Mr Megrahi's case, it would be very helpful if Mr Mandela was able to issue a public statement outlining his views on the decision of the Scottish Justice Secretary to release Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds. Please let me know if this is something which you would be able to arrange. My colleagues and I would be happy to discuss this if you require any further information."
Mr Mandela played a role in the handover of Megrahi to face trial in a special Scottish court in the Netherlands.
The response said that Mr Mandela does not want to be involved in public issues any more but that he "sincerely appreciates" the decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds.
The decision was "in line with his wishes", according to the email.
Archbishop Tutu's office was approached with a similar email which noted his "long-standing humanitarian concerns".
He agreed to the request and issued a statement in which he said there was "nothing wrong" with the decision to free Megrahi.
Mrs Robinson, Irish president between 1990 and 1997, was approached through the human rights organisation she founded. Her office declined the invitation.
The Trump Organisation said in October that an approach was made asking for the decision to be endorsed.
At the time, a spokesman for the organisation said: "As Americans and New Yorkers who have unfortunately suffered and seen terrorism first-hand, it was ludicrous. The answer was no."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government was perfectly entitled to seek support at home and abroad for this decision which was supported by some, including some relatives of Lockerbie victims, and opposed by others."
[A report on The Telegraph website can be read here; and one on the BBC News website here.]
Emails released under freedom of information legislation, have revealed how the Scottish Government asked public figures to endorse the release of the Lockerbie bomber.
The documents show that First Minister Alex Salmond's advisers emailed the former South African leader's office, as well as former Irish president Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu asking for them to consider issuing a public statement.
US businessman Donald Trump has already revealed that he was asked, but refused, to put his name to a prepared statement saying he was "certain" the release was made for good reasons.
The Government's requests came shortly after the controversial decision to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in August 2009.
Megrahi, who had cancer, died in May this year. He was sentenced to life in prison for the bombing of a US airliner over the Scottish town in 1988, which claimed 270 lives.
A template email was sent to the offices of Mr Mandela and Archbishop Tutu, with personalised references to their involvement or interest in the case.
The email sent on August 26 2009 to the Nelson Mandela Foundation stated: "Given his ongoing close involvement in Mr Megrahi's case, it would be very helpful if Mr Mandela was able to issue a public statement outlining his views on the decision of the Scottish Justice Secretary to release Mr al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds. Please let me know if this is something which you would be able to arrange. My colleagues and I would be happy to discuss this if you require any further information."
Mr Mandela played a role in the handover of Megrahi to face trial in a special Scottish court in the Netherlands.
The response said that Mr Mandela does not want to be involved in public issues any more but that he "sincerely appreciates" the decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds.
The decision was "in line with his wishes", according to the email.
Archbishop Tutu's office was approached with a similar email which noted his "long-standing humanitarian concerns".
He agreed to the request and issued a statement in which he said there was "nothing wrong" with the decision to free Megrahi.
Mrs Robinson, Irish president between 1990 and 1997, was approached through the human rights organisation she founded. Her office declined the invitation.
The Trump Organisation said in October that an approach was made asking for the decision to be endorsed.
At the time, a spokesman for the organisation said: "As Americans and New Yorkers who have unfortunately suffered and seen terrorism first-hand, it was ludicrous. The answer was no."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The Scottish Government was perfectly entitled to seek support at home and abroad for this decision which was supported by some, including some relatives of Lockerbie victims, and opposed by others."
[A report on The Telegraph website can be read here; and one on the BBC News website here.]
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Mandela Day: a missed Scottish opportunity
The Scottish Government's press release on events to mark Mandela Day can be read here. The last paragraph states: "Last month Archbishop Desmond Tutu sent a video message to the people of Scotland welcoming plans to mark Mandela Day and he said he was delighted that First Minister Alex Salmond, the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland were marking the day."
At the time of Archbishop Tutu's message, I wrote on this blog: "Given that Archbishop Tutu is a Justice for Megrahi signatory, and given the role that Nelson Mandela played in facilitating a Lockerbie trial (and the interest he took in Abdelbaset Megrahi's fate thereafter) would it not be entirely appropriate and gracious for the Scottish Government to mark Mandela Day by announcing the independent inquiry into the Megrahi prosecution and conviction that the Archbishop, along with the other signatories, has called for?"
The Scottish Government press release does not list this as one of the Mandela Day events. What a surprise and disappointment!
At the time of Archbishop Tutu's message, I wrote on this blog: "Given that Archbishop Tutu is a Justice for Megrahi signatory, and given the role that Nelson Mandela played in facilitating a Lockerbie trial (and the interest he took in Abdelbaset Megrahi's fate thereafter) would it not be entirely appropriate and gracious for the Scottish Government to mark Mandela Day by announcing the independent inquiry into the Megrahi prosecution and conviction that the Archbishop, along with the other signatories, has called for?"
The Scottish Government press release does not list this as one of the Mandela Day events. What a surprise and disappointment!
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Salmond pressed to instigate inquiry into Pan Am 103 by international coalition ...
[This is the headline over a report on the website of Scottish lawyers' magazine The Firm. It reads as follows:]
First Minister Alex Salmond has been called upon by an international coalition of signatories including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, academic Professor Noam Chomsky, former Father of the House Tam Dalyell and Professor Robert Black QC to institute a "full, open and public inquiry into the investigation of the Pan Am flight 103 tragedy."
The call comes amidst growing international clamour for an investigation, triggered initially by US Senators who wished to probe the connections between the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmad Al Megrahi and oil company BP. A letter endorsed by all the signatories, including relatives groups and the Justice for Megrahi campaign, calls on Salmond to initiate an inquiry "to encompass all aspects of the Lockerbie affair from December 1988 to the present day."
Others, such as Dr Hans Koechler and MSP Christine Grahame, as well as newspaper Leaders across the UK, have called separately for a wider analysis of the circumstances surrounding the Pan Am 103 affair and the discredited conviction against Al Megrahi.
"In response to the current attacks from both the USA and within the UK, it is now being suggested that an inquiry might be opened under the auspices of the Scottish Government into the circumstances of Mr Al-Megrahi's release. In our view, it is vital that the scope of any such inquiry ought also to encompass all aspects of the Lockerbie affair from December 1988 to the present day, including the investigation of the disaster and the Zeist trial itself (as laid out in the UN petition)" the letter to Salmond says.
"Clearly, it is our belief that Mr Al-Megrahi may have been a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, and in that regard, simply to focus on the questions arising from his release is of secondary import. It goes without saying, therefore, that we would be fully supportive of a full, public inquiry of this type should Edinburgh wish to open one.
"From a political standpoint, such a course of action might succeed in fanning the existing flames, however, we feel that to institute a more wide-ranging inquiry could well serve to silence some of the critics, or at least make them more circumspect before going public. A step of this nature may also go some way towards restoring faith in Scotland's once justifiably envied system of criminal justice, which is now internationally derided as a result of our continuing failure to tackle the problems created and sustained by the Lockerbie affair."
The Firm's Editor Steven Raeburn was also asked to sign the original petition in September 2009, in addition to tonight's letter to Salmond, and has done so.
"Given the international nature of the incident and the fact that there seemed to be little appetite to open an inquiry in the either Westminster or Holyrood at the time, it was the appropriate route to follow," the letter adds.
"We hope that Holyrood will now take up the gauntlet and attempt to lift the fog that many feel has obscured aspects of this case from the very start."
The letter marks one of the the final public acts of Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, who announced his retirement from public life today.
[The full text of the letter to the First Minister can be read here.]
First Minister Alex Salmond has been called upon by an international coalition of signatories including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, academic Professor Noam Chomsky, former Father of the House Tam Dalyell and Professor Robert Black QC to institute a "full, open and public inquiry into the investigation of the Pan Am flight 103 tragedy."
The call comes amidst growing international clamour for an investigation, triggered initially by US Senators who wished to probe the connections between the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmad Al Megrahi and oil company BP. A letter endorsed by all the signatories, including relatives groups and the Justice for Megrahi campaign, calls on Salmond to initiate an inquiry "to encompass all aspects of the Lockerbie affair from December 1988 to the present day."
Others, such as Dr Hans Koechler and MSP Christine Grahame, as well as newspaper Leaders across the UK, have called separately for a wider analysis of the circumstances surrounding the Pan Am 103 affair and the discredited conviction against Al Megrahi.
"In response to the current attacks from both the USA and within the UK, it is now being suggested that an inquiry might be opened under the auspices of the Scottish Government into the circumstances of Mr Al-Megrahi's release. In our view, it is vital that the scope of any such inquiry ought also to encompass all aspects of the Lockerbie affair from December 1988 to the present day, including the investigation of the disaster and the Zeist trial itself (as laid out in the UN petition)" the letter to Salmond says.
"Clearly, it is our belief that Mr Al-Megrahi may have been a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice, and in that regard, simply to focus on the questions arising from his release is of secondary import. It goes without saying, therefore, that we would be fully supportive of a full, public inquiry of this type should Edinburgh wish to open one.
"From a political standpoint, such a course of action might succeed in fanning the existing flames, however, we feel that to institute a more wide-ranging inquiry could well serve to silence some of the critics, or at least make them more circumspect before going public. A step of this nature may also go some way towards restoring faith in Scotland's once justifiably envied system of criminal justice, which is now internationally derided as a result of our continuing failure to tackle the problems created and sustained by the Lockerbie affair."
The Firm's Editor Steven Raeburn was also asked to sign the original petition in September 2009, in addition to tonight's letter to Salmond, and has done so.
"Given the international nature of the incident and the fact that there seemed to be little appetite to open an inquiry in the either Westminster or Holyrood at the time, it was the appropriate route to follow," the letter adds.
"We hope that Holyrood will now take up the gauntlet and attempt to lift the fog that many feel has obscured aspects of this case from the very start."
The letter marks one of the the final public acts of Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, who announced his retirement from public life today.
[The full text of the letter to the First Minister can be read here.]
Friday, 12 October 2012
Reveal who else you asked to help free Libyan bomber, Labour tells Salmond
[This is the headline over a report (behind the paywall) in today’s edition of The Times. It is, of course, a scandalously inaccurate headline. No-one, not even the Labour Party (whose hands are far from clean: remember Tony Blair’s deal in the desert?) is accusing the First Minister of asking Donald Trump or any other international figure to help free Abdelbaset Megrahi. The accusation is that he asked them to support his compassionate release after it had taken place. The article reads in part:]
An unlikely alliance of an American billionaire and a Labour politician last night ratcheted up the pressure on Alex Salmond to explain his behaviour over what Donald Trump called his “absolutely disgusting” decision to release the Lockerbie bomber.
It has emerged that Mr Salmond’s special adviser prepared a letter supporting the Scottish government’s decision to free Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi and asked Mr Trump to sign. He refused, but other figures, including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, agreed to endorse the release, in 2009.
“The First Minister was totally outsmarted by the Libyans, who greeted Megrahi, waving, in a mocking fashion, the great Scottish flag,” Mr Trump said.
“As everyone is now aware, Salmond put a great deal of pressure on me and my organisation to sign a letter dictated by him, on Scottish government letterhead, to fully endorse his absolutely disgusting decision.”
While Mr Salmond has refused to comment on the letter drafted for Mr Trump, he suggested on Wednesday that it was no “big deal” that his government had asked international figures to support an important decision.
“Any government is perfectly entitled to seek support for decisions they take,” Mr Salmond said. “Nelson Mandela’s name will appear on the list, but so what? That’s what governments do: if you make decisions, you seek support for those decisions. You are absolutely entitled to do that. There is nothing surprising or untoward about it.”
The Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald has tabled a series of questions seeking to identify a full list of those approached to support the Scottish government’s decision. He said: “This whole episode leaves me with a deep sense of unease about how the First Minister operates.”
Mr Trump insists that it was his refusal to endorse the release of al-Megrahi that soured the First Minister’s attitude to the tycoon’s £750 million golf resort planned for Menie, near Aberdeen.
An unlikely alliance of an American billionaire and a Labour politician last night ratcheted up the pressure on Alex Salmond to explain his behaviour over what Donald Trump called his “absolutely disgusting” decision to release the Lockerbie bomber.
It has emerged that Mr Salmond’s special adviser prepared a letter supporting the Scottish government’s decision to free Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi and asked Mr Trump to sign. He refused, but other figures, including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, agreed to endorse the release, in 2009.
“The First Minister was totally outsmarted by the Libyans, who greeted Megrahi, waving, in a mocking fashion, the great Scottish flag,” Mr Trump said.
“As everyone is now aware, Salmond put a great deal of pressure on me and my organisation to sign a letter dictated by him, on Scottish government letterhead, to fully endorse his absolutely disgusting decision.”
While Mr Salmond has refused to comment on the letter drafted for Mr Trump, he suggested on Wednesday that it was no “big deal” that his government had asked international figures to support an important decision.
“Any government is perfectly entitled to seek support for decisions they take,” Mr Salmond said. “Nelson Mandela’s name will appear on the list, but so what? That’s what governments do: if you make decisions, you seek support for those decisions. You are absolutely entitled to do that. There is nothing surprising or untoward about it.”
The Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald has tabled a series of questions seeking to identify a full list of those approached to support the Scottish government’s decision. He said: “This whole episode leaves me with a deep sense of unease about how the First Minister operates.”
Mr Trump insists that it was his refusal to endorse the release of al-Megrahi that soured the First Minister’s attitude to the tycoon’s £750 million golf resort planned for Menie, near Aberdeen.
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Serious questions raised by serious people
Lockerbie inquiry calls rejected
[This is the headline over a report just published by The Press Association news agency. It reads as follows:]
Fresh calls for an inquiry into the Lockerbie bombing have been rejected by the First Minister.
Only a court of law can determine guilt or innocence, Alex Salmond said during First Minister's Questions at Holyrood.
He was urged by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie to consider an inquiry less than a week after the man convicted for the atrocity died in Libya.
More than 40 politicians, religious leaders and journalists signed a letter on Tuesday calling for an independent inquiry into Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's conviction. The "perverse judgment" has left Scotland's criminal justice system a "mangled wreck", the letter says.
Mr Rennie said: "The First Minister has previously said he would be prepared to co-operate with a UK inquiry. If he has no objection to an inquiry in principle, and this group wants a Scottish inquiry, will he agree to hold it?"
Mr Salmond said: "The place where you determine guilt or innocence of an individual is a court of law.
"As Willie Rennie should know, the relatives of Mr Megrahi have the ability, if they so choose, to go back to the Scottish Criminal Case Review Commission and seek further leave to appeal. That is the process which can be followed."
Mr Rennie said the conduct of the Crown should be looked at, rather than focusing on guilt or innocence.
He asked Mr Salmond: "Surely it can't just be left in the hands of a family somewhere in Tripoli for that to be determined? If he chooses to act on this inquiry he'd have the support of Desmond Tutu, Terry Waite, John Pilger and so many others. This is not a normal case. It's Scotland's biggest terrorist atrocity. These are serious questions raised by serious people, and the world is watching."
Mr Salmond replied: "They're looking for an inquiry for the responsibility, ultimately, for Lockerbie. That touches on matters of huge international importance which would be beyond the ability of the Scottish inquiry to summon witnesses, compel evidence, etcetera."
[Mr Salmond gravely misrepresents the nature of the inquiry that Justice for Megrahi is seeking. The true position is, as has been pointed out on many occasions, that what is being called for is an inquiry into the investigation, prosecution and conviction of Abdelbaset Megrahi. Each and every one of these matters is within the jurisdiction of Scots law and the remit of the Scottish Government:
- The event occurred over and on Scottish territory.
- The case was investigated by a Scottish police force.
- The trial was conducted under Scots Law.
- Mr Megrahi was convicted under Scots Law.
- Mr Megrahi was imprisoned in a Scottish gaol.
- The SCCRC referred the second appeal to the Scottish Court of Appeal.
- Mr Megrahi was given compassionate release by the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice.
That is the nature of the inquiry that Justice for Megrahi's petition is asking the Scottish Government to convene. A more wide-ranging inquiry into what really happened to Pan Am 103 would involve non-devolved issues. Such an inquiry would have to be instituted by the UK Government (or by the UK and Scottish governments jointly -- the Inquiries Act 2005 specifically envisages such joint inquiries in section 32 read with section 1(2)). But we are and always have been clear that our request to the Scottish Government relates exclusively to matters that are within devolved Scottish jurisdiction.
“A liberal society should be one that is prepared to look hard at its justice system, even if it is worried about what it might find.
“I have called for a Scottish public inquiry into the Lockerbie prosecution.
“The First Minister has the opportunity to shine a light onto the conduct of the Crown Office, which for years has been left blemished by the six separate grounds of appeal identified by the Government's own Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.
“On matters which relate to the integrity, fairness and justice of the Scottish justice system, it is simply not good enough to leave this to a family in Tripoli.
"Questions relating to Scottish justice are not a matter to be left to a UK inquiry. It has the backing of 40 leading figures, is about Scotland's biggest terrorist atrocity and potential flaws have been identified by the Government's own review body. We need the First Minister to act."]
Monday, 16 August 2010
Pilger adds name to call for Pan Am 103 inquiry
[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.]
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.]
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Lockerbie relative: Grieve MH17 through love, not revenge
[This is the headline over an article by Dr Jim Swire published today on the CNN website. It reads as follows:]
Editor's note: Jim Swire is the father of Flora, who was one of the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
The first question for many relatives of the victims of MH17, as for us after Lockerbie, will be whether their loved ones suffered.
Explosive decompression of an aircraft fuselage at 35,000 feet will cause almost instantaneous loss of consciousness. Explosive decompression is a terribly apt phrase.
If it turns out to be true that MH17 was hit by a Buk Soviet-era SA missile, their warheads contain about 140 times the explosive in the PA 103 bomb. It seems impossible therefore that anyone aboard could have remained aware to suffer in the aftermath.
The essence of the tragedy of MH17 is the suffering of the relatives. Some will need to view the bodies of those they lost. Surely they deserve security to say their last farewells. They should have that option. Bodies need to be treated with respect and precision of identification.
I believe that in the case of MH17 the United Nations should also oversee immediate sending of an international team of investigators, covered by force if necessary, to ensure that relatives' needs, the bodies themselves and the evidence field are protected. It is already very late, but not too late. There has already been looting, abhorrent to relatives, there is something particularly unsavory about the thought of unauthorised interference with bodies, or indeed personal effects of the dead.
There will now be some uncertainty about the evidential material on site. Maybe the U.N. should in future have a standby arrangement for immediate deployment of such an international "sterilizing force." Even in the case of Lockerbie, evidence emerged in court of improper interference with potentially evidential material on the crash site within Scotland.
In the UK we found that a relatives' group predicated on the concept of allowing everyone to grieve in their own way, but always there to support its members, helped. The humanist, highly caring, relative co-ordinating our group cannot know how many of us she has helped through her dedication and skills.
One of the most difficult yet most rewarding aspects of Christ's philosophy was to extend love to others even when they seem to be your enemy. We have witnessed the bitterness and personal destruction that can spring from rampant lust for revenge.
Lust for revenge is natural, but self-defeating, for the consequence of revenge is so often further revenge. Nor does it even bring peace of mind to the avenger. Of course we condemn the actions of perpetrators and would rightly have them punished for what they have done, but we don't have to hate the perpetrators themselves. Imprisoned, they may emerge one day to do good.
The late Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped to create the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That concept can only work if truth precedes the attempts at reconciliation. Truth may become a fickle wraith for families to pursue through the labyrinth of International politics. It was Mandela too who publicly warned, long before the trial of those accused by the U.S. and UK of responsibility for Lockerbie, that: "No one country should be complainant, prosecutor and judge."
The West ignored this warning.
It is perhaps significant that the Netherlands, which lost far more citizens in MH17 than any other country, finds herself already the home of the International Criminal Court.
Powerful governments have powerful means of controlling what we know and believe. International courts should be immune to that. Perversely it was the evidence produced at the Lockerbie trial in Zeist, Holland, which confirmed for some that Moammar Gaddafi's Libya was responsible.
But for other close watchers, there were doubts there which have now greatly increased and led 25 UK Lockerbie relatives, together with members of the family of the one Libyan found guilty, recently to lodge a request for a third appeal against the Zeist verdict with Scotland's Criminal Case Review Commission.
Nowadays we have a better route, through the International Criminal Court, and what those of us who are not MH17 relatives should do is to monitor and encourage all efforts to pass the whole known truth to the MH17 relatives and to discover and detain those responsible. It is no coincidence that Holland already hosts the ICC, for that nation's record in support of international justice is outstanding.
MH17 relatives may also find help from the small UK charity Disaster Action. This cannot deal with so huge a tragedy directly but carries within it wisdom distilled from Lockerbie and other tragedies.
Editor's note: Jim Swire is the father of Flora, who was one of the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
The first question for many relatives of the victims of MH17, as for us after Lockerbie, will be whether their loved ones suffered.
Explosive decompression of an aircraft fuselage at 35,000 feet will cause almost instantaneous loss of consciousness. Explosive decompression is a terribly apt phrase.
If it turns out to be true that MH17 was hit by a Buk Soviet-era SA missile, their warheads contain about 140 times the explosive in the PA 103 bomb. It seems impossible therefore that anyone aboard could have remained aware to suffer in the aftermath.
The essence of the tragedy of MH17 is the suffering of the relatives. Some will need to view the bodies of those they lost. Surely they deserve security to say their last farewells. They should have that option. Bodies need to be treated with respect and precision of identification.
I believe that in the case of MH17 the United Nations should also oversee immediate sending of an international team of investigators, covered by force if necessary, to ensure that relatives' needs, the bodies themselves and the evidence field are protected. It is already very late, but not too late. There has already been looting, abhorrent to relatives, there is something particularly unsavory about the thought of unauthorised interference with bodies, or indeed personal effects of the dead.
There will now be some uncertainty about the evidential material on site. Maybe the U.N. should in future have a standby arrangement for immediate deployment of such an international "sterilizing force." Even in the case of Lockerbie, evidence emerged in court of improper interference with potentially evidential material on the crash site within Scotland.
In the UK we found that a relatives' group predicated on the concept of allowing everyone to grieve in their own way, but always there to support its members, helped. The humanist, highly caring, relative co-ordinating our group cannot know how many of us she has helped through her dedication and skills.
One of the most difficult yet most rewarding aspects of Christ's philosophy was to extend love to others even when they seem to be your enemy. We have witnessed the bitterness and personal destruction that can spring from rampant lust for revenge.
Lust for revenge is natural, but self-defeating, for the consequence of revenge is so often further revenge. Nor does it even bring peace of mind to the avenger. Of course we condemn the actions of perpetrators and would rightly have them punished for what they have done, but we don't have to hate the perpetrators themselves. Imprisoned, they may emerge one day to do good.
The late Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu helped to create the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That concept can only work if truth precedes the attempts at reconciliation. Truth may become a fickle wraith for families to pursue through the labyrinth of International politics. It was Mandela too who publicly warned, long before the trial of those accused by the U.S. and UK of responsibility for Lockerbie, that: "No one country should be complainant, prosecutor and judge."
The West ignored this warning.
It is perhaps significant that the Netherlands, which lost far more citizens in MH17 than any other country, finds herself already the home of the International Criminal Court.
Powerful governments have powerful means of controlling what we know and believe. International courts should be immune to that. Perversely it was the evidence produced at the Lockerbie trial in Zeist, Holland, which confirmed for some that Moammar Gaddafi's Libya was responsible.
But for other close watchers, there were doubts there which have now greatly increased and led 25 UK Lockerbie relatives, together with members of the family of the one Libyan found guilty, recently to lodge a request for a third appeal against the Zeist verdict with Scotland's Criminal Case Review Commission.
Nowadays we have a better route, through the International Criminal Court, and what those of us who are not MH17 relatives should do is to monitor and encourage all efforts to pass the whole known truth to the MH17 relatives and to discover and detain those responsible. It is no coincidence that Holland already hosts the ICC, for that nation's record in support of international justice is outstanding.
MH17 relatives may also find help from the small UK charity Disaster Action. This cannot deal with so huge a tragedy directly but carries within it wisdom distilled from Lockerbie and other tragedies.
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