Airline bomber getting out of prison

babble

dyslexia wrote:

babble

Quote:

Another trenchant proof by dyslexia, who apparently cannot defend any of his opinions except with the quick, irrelevant slash.

very very sick people here who hate for the US

Dislike of and contempt for certain attitudes of mind present in the USA (as well as elsewhere) is not necessarily a blanket "hatred".

Quote:

dyslexia wrote:

babble

Quote:

Another trenchant proof by dyslexia, who apparently cannot defend any of his opinions except with the quick, irrelevant slash.

horseshit

There seem to be two diametrically opposite views of the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, convicted of the Lockerbie bombing. One, the predominant view, is that Megrahi is guilty of such a horrendous crime that he should die in jail.

The other is that his conviction in 2001, some 13 years after the explosion on Pan Am flight 103, was unsafe, and that his release on compassionate grounds is the least worst way of bringing one part of an unsatisfactory episode to a conclusion.
[...]
... There was something not quite right about the case against Megrahi, brought under Scottish law in a Dutch court after a complex series of international deals persuaded the Libyan regime to surrender two suspects. We acknowledge, on the one hand, the view of those such as the liberal barrister Geoffrey Robertson, who are convinced of Megrahi's guilt. On the other hand, many of those with an informed interest in the case, including Jim Swire, the father of one who died in the bombing, are equally convinced of his innocence. At the very least, there were reasonable grounds for Megrahi's further appeals against his conviction.

Those legal actions could have taken their course had it not been for Megrahi's being diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. At that point, in our view, the question changed. Inevitably, given the conspiracy theories that have swirled about this case from the start, it has been assumed in some quarters that his release is part of a deal to allow British companies to get their hands on Libyan oil, or to conceal the identity of the true authors of the Lockerbie atrocity. Some have even doubted Megrahi's diagnosis.

So the question then became whether it was right that someone, guilty in the eyes of the law, should be released on compassionate grounds and allowed to die at home. In this, questions of Megrahi's guilt or innocence ought to become irrelevant. The fact is that we do not know whether he did it or not. Pending due legal process, he should be treated as if he did.

Megrahi may well be innocent, then, but the critical point is that, even if he is not, it was right that he should be released when doctors gave him three months to live. In this we find ourselves on the side of Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Secretary, who took the decision.
[...]
All we need to decide is whether a dying man, even if he is guilty of a terrible crime, should be shown compassion. We were impressed by Mr MacAskill's words when he announced his decision. "Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power," he said. "The perpetration of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live." We agree that "our beliefs dictate that justice be served, but mercy be shown".

Should this man be released from prison on compassionate grounds? Or should he die there?
I can certainly understand the outrage from the families of the victims.

Should a person who has shown no compassion for his victims, expect to be shown any themselves?

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Airline bomber getting out of prison
Vancouver/CKNW(AM980)

8/19/2009

A man convicted of bombing Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988 is being released from prison on compassionate grounds.

57 year old Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi is terminally ill with prostate cancer.

Families of victims in the United States are outraged, while the majority of British public opinion supports the move.

A majority of the passengers on flight 103 were American.

The bombing killed all 259 people on the plane and 11 people on the ground.

The Scottish First Minister was today forced to defend the decision to set free the Lockerbie bomber as outrage over his release continued to mount.

Alex Salmond maintained the move was made in accordance with the Scottish judicial system and was taken for the “right reasons”, after Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI, claimed Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi’s release “made a mockery” of the law and rewarded terrorism.
[...]
Mr Salmond said in a Radio 4 interview that the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, had acted in accordance with Scots law. He also said Mr Mueller was wrong to claim all families disagreed with their decision.

“As you’re well aware, a number of the families, particularly in the UK, take a different view and think that we made the right decision,” he said

Mr Salmond pointed out that Mr MacAskill had not invited the two applications aimed at securing his repatriation, one for prisoner transfer and one for compassionate release. He also suggested the Americans did not understand the principle of compassionate release because it is not part of the US judicial system.

Mr Mueller, a former US prosecutor, played a key role in the Lockerbie investigation. In his letter to Mr MacAskill he said: “Your action in releasing Megrahi is as inexplicable as it is detrimental to the cause of justice.

“Indeed your action makes a mockery of the rule of law. Your action gives comfort to terrorists around the world.”

He added that he normally did not comment on the actions of other prosecutors, but he had been forced to abandon the rule because he was so “outraged”.

The Scottish Government said Mr MacAskill would respond to Mr Mueller’s letter “in due course”.

... ... ...

He 's as good as dead; its insignificant.

The Scotch were saving themselves the cost of keeping him alive.
Thay don 't have to pay for it as long as he is in Lybia.

It's not insignificant judging from the shitstorm which has arrived this weekend at the door of the Scottish Justice Minister, and by extension, the government in London.

It's "freedom fries" all over again in some quarters.