What. The. Fuck? He is a mass murderer responsible for 270 deaths. But he has cancer now, so let’s let him out on “compassionate grounds.” You mean like the “compassion” he showed those 270 passengers?
Fuck him. I don’t care if he has a month to live, a week, or a day. He should die in prison, and be fully aware of the fact that he is going to die in prison. (He should have died at the end of a rope years ago, but that’s another thread.)
How can anybody possibly justify setting this motherfucker free?
The problem is, nobody here actually believes he did it. The trial was a sham, and it’s likely he was just a pawn used by Ghadaffi, so Libya could come in from the cold.
Yes … there are very grave doubts about the safety of that particular conviction. And have been from the word go, pretty much.
Mind you, I’m not sure that letting him out on compassionate grounds is the right way to go. Letting him out on “he didn’t actually do it” grounds might be a better choice. But, of course, that would be embarrassing.
There was absolutely reasonable doubt, but he was convicted anyway.
IMO, there’s no way he could have done it.
I wish there could just have been a retrial where he was exonerated. But I suspect the US wouldn’t go for it, so the Scottish court is doing the next-best-thing.
The compassionate release part is a fudge, but it’s a just fudge nonetheless.
He had an appeal under way, until last week, when he dropped it, as it was thought it would hamper his chances of being released. If he really does have terminal cancer, then he’d be dead before any appeal came to a decision, anyway, so compassionate grounds is the only was to release him.
Of course, as soon as US Senators started writing letters to the Scottish Government urging them to keep him in prison, his release was a foregone conclusion.
In short though, his release was most likely agreed by all the main players - British government, Scottish government, the US and Libya. Salmond gets to look like he’s actually important, Brown and Obama get to avoid any unpleasantness that an appeal might have thrown up about the original trial or factors building to it. Libya get to fete a returning hero. US and British oil companies have one less little political mine to step on whilst trying to carve out some of Libyas reserves. All profit. Oh, the US and UK government have to make stern tutting noises, but they’re happy to play to the audience.
Just a shame that this precludes us from ever actually identifying just who was responsible for the murder of hundred of innocent civilians that night.
Hmmmm… after reading these responses and further research, there does seem to be more here than meets the eye. Blame my naive assumption that the guy convicted of the crime actually comitted the crime.
Damn you all for ruining my perfectly good outrage!!!
I find the notion an entire populace would regard anyone, al-Megrahi or whoever was responsible, judged guilty of the horrific murder of 270 innocent civilians as a “hero” to be far more troubling than the simple commutation of a sentence.
The population of Libya have had years of newspaper headlines decrying the miscarriage of justice in sentencing an innocent man. As far as they’re concerned, he’s a wronged man, and his return is a wonderful thing.
Oh aye, I dare say the right wing in the US will throw all manner of nonsense about on this one. They do tend to get rather silly about shit.
It really is a shame that he’s been sent back, as I was looking forward to his appeal. I think there’s a huge amount of dirt that will never see light of day now.
[Conspiracy Theory Hat On] I’m wondering if this ‘compassionate’ release is actually to protect the CIA and UK/US relations, rather than al-Megrahi.
The level of outrage in the US over his release is nothing compared to the level of outrage we’d see in the UK if a retrial revealed that the CIA really had subverted the Scottish justice system. [/CTH Off]
I was also looking forward to the evidence to be presented at part of the appeal.
And, of course, the silly responses saying to boycott Scotland are also forgetting that not only were there passangers killed, but a family on the ground was killed as well.
There were 169 Americans and 52 British in the 270 killed in the atrocity.
Still, no reason this can’t be seized upon as a purely American tragedy made even worse by Scotland’s craven cowardice in releasing this clearly guilty man.
Which is pretty much what a lot of the comments on NYTimes and other sites are going for. For example, Joan of Atlanta writes:
“The United States should recall its Ambassador to Scotland to make it clear that American lives ARE our national interest, outweighing petro-politics & any well-intentioned desire to improve relations with the Arab world. Who would have believed our so-called ally would side with our enemy? I am of Scotch-Irish descent & I say shame on Scotland; shame on Libya; shun them both.”
I really do like it when an American tries to claim the moral highground in issues of “petro-politics”.
It really shows a lack of foresight on the part of the Obama Administration that we don’t have an ambassador to Scotland. How are we going to demonstrate our outrage?!?
Hey, shows what I know…I remembered the family, particularly because I didn’t remember hearing about them in the US at the time. But still, I find that there’s often a push to make it an American tragedy.
I can’t remember if Salmond’s laughably shite Homecoming ceremony is still in swing, but if it is you could send one over as part of the proceedings, then recall him soon as he arrives?
Actually, I’ve changed my mind.
This act is an outrage, and America is right to demand restitution. Could you all please demand the head of Alex Salmond as an act of contrition? Please?
It’s just that Salmond, greasy little wank that he is, really is a nauseous thing to behold and this whole debacle means he’ll be popping up on the telly for weeks. Have you any idea how hard it is to keep down a haggis pudding supper and a deep fried mars bar when something like that suddenly appears on the news? It’s just too frightful a prospect. It could be enough to drive the population of scotland to drink.
So, dear right wing of America, I for one heartily support your demands for revenge for this, and if you could all just let it be known you’ll stop buying golf from us* unless our dear leader is ritually slaughtered, skinned, smoked and sent vacuum sealed to you then I think you’d be completely justified.
Ta.
*I mean, it was invented here, we do get a license fee or something right?