Scottish ministers and officials will not attend a US Senate hearing about the circumstances surrounding the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

The foreign relations committee wanted Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill and the Scottish Prison Service's medical chief, Dr Andrew Fraser, to be present.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government confirmed that the formal invite to Mr MacAskill and Dr Fraser had been turned down.

Can we expect carpet bombing? If so, can I nominate my local pub as the carpets in that are in sore need of replacement anyway.

I guess I was hoping MacAskill would take the money for the flights, go over, lay down the (Scots) law in full and impeccable detail, then as soon as they started with the inevitable accusations, tell them to shove it up their chuff. But never mind.

I want to see the look of," Shock and Awe", on the US Senators faces, when they relise that they are in fact not the worlds judge and jury and have rightly been told to get back in their box and **** off. 😛

Like the yanks refuse to permit their pilots from attending friendly fire inquests which kill UK personnel….but it still doesn't make it right though, does it, Scotland should never have released him. If the average jock is too proud/stupid to understand why America might be a tad annoyed by this mess then Mel Gibson really does have a lot to answer for.

Who is Mel Gibson?

I just wish Megrahi had got his appeal heard ( I don't think that would have suited the yanks either)

A country like the USA which tortures prisoners and executes people without a fair trial (British person awaiting the chop as we speak) has no moral ground to stand on.

As an average Scot I don't give a shit what a country like the USA thinks of our merciful approach to justice.

"You smell that? Do you smell that? Xenophobia, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of xenophobia in the evening."

😈 😉

It's crystal clear that you don't give a shit, but that still doesn't make it right. Merciful or fanciful? I dont think Scotland can take the moral high ground on this at all. It's shameful

What?

"You smell that? Do you smell that? Xenophobia, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that.

I'm not sure ……..are you talking about enfht's reference to "jocks" being "too proud/stupid" ?

I suppose it did have a slight wiff about it.

dont think Scotland can take the moral high ground on this at all. It's shameful
So how much do you know about the "jock" legal system and it's treatment of the terminally ill? Off you go, you small boy.

It's a complex issue no doubt. I had the same thought as the OP when I heard that on the news, stuff the Yanks.

Big cost though. The Americans will be even less likely to trust our judicial system in the future, and a terrorist got freedom when he should have rotted in jail. I agree with the Senators on that point.

I think you'll find the correct quote would be, " I love the smell of xenophobia in the morning". 🙂

I'm sure they just wanted to congratulate your countrymen and their application of "merciful justice" and allowing the murderer of 270 people to walk free whilst laughing over his shoulder.

Well done chaps, leading the world in Justice and Banking now.

Yeah, the american legal system is totally AWESOME!

>I think you'll find the correct quote would be, " I love the smell of xenophobia in the morning".

🙄

mmmm, what about all those IRA terrorists they let go in the 80’s, oh that right they where “Freedom Fighters”

I can't help thinking that letting him go was a convenient way of avoiding his appeal – there was fair to good chance he'd have been cleared, which would have been even more embarrassing for an awful lot of people, not to mention the inconvenience of having to find out who actually did it.

On the subject of embarrassment, how about our PM saying we were the junior partner to the US fighting the Nazis in 1940? – ERRRR hang on a minute – the US weren't in the war until 1943.

the US weren't in the war until 1943.

1941. December 7th to be exact.

mmmm, what about all those IRA terrorists they let go in the 80’s

Late nineties to present, keep up at the back.

Someone in the us secret service should point out to the senators that to not release him would have lead to a very unpleasant time for everyone at the appeal. swiss electronics anyone?

IanW – Member
…Well done chaps, leading the world in Justice… now.

Aye, but Brazilian electricians and old men walking home with their hands in their pockets feel safe here.

Holding a dying person in jail is tantamount to torture. al-Megrahi may have survived a bit longer than 3 months but he is not likely to see out a year.

In any case if the USA doesn't like the decision, then they should be talking directly to the Scottish government.

Scotland, BP salutes your courage, your strength, your indefatigability 🙂

IanMunro – Member
Scotland, BP salutes your courage, your strength, your indefatigability

IanMunro – Scotland salutes your complete ignorance of the facts.

I'm sure they just wanted to congratulate your countrymen and their application of "merciful justice" and allowing the murderer of 270 people to walk free

Surely all the Scottish Parliament has to do is convince the Yanks that al-Megrahi was released in exchange for an oil deal ?

I'm sure the Yanks wouldn't have any problem at all understanding the importance of sweeping under the carpet the death of a mere 270 innocent civilians, when faced with the need to secure vital oil supplies.

Simple really.

Late nineties to present, keep up at the back.

This pre dates 1997 Good Friday, by many a good year.

US courts would free IRA suspects rather than extradite them to the UK, even though they had been caught in the act of purchasing guns and explosives for the use of terrorist acts.

Scottish law releases a man they, the US, consider to be a terrorist on compassionate ground and they get all high and mighty..

i like STW at times…..

the senators are looking to find someone to blame for an industrial disaster, they think BP is a british company it isnt. They think the british government released Megrahi it didnt. If they want to learn more about industrial disasters and culprits going unpunished they should google the word bhopal or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster

Scottish politicians – parochial doesn't begin to describe their corner shop view of the world.

>al-Megrahi may have survived a bit longer than 3 months but he is not likely to see out a year.

Really ?

"Megrahi was freed on compassionate grounds by the Scottish government on 20 August 2009"

(looks at calendar)

"A doctor has recently released that although the world was told that Megrahi had at least 3 months left to live, a recent health check has confirmed that he may live another 10 years after he outlived the prognosis of his prostate cancer."

From TJ's fave http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdelbaset_Ali_Mohmed_Al_Megrahi#Family_and_health

😉

Kenny MacAskill's full speech at the time of Al Megrahi's release explains rather eloquently what the Scottish law is and why the action was taken.

The end bit sums it up nicely:

Scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against our people and those from many other lands. The pain and suffering will remain forever. Some hurt can never heal. Some scars can never fade.

Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. Their pain runs deep and the wounds remain.

However, Mr Al Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die.

In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity.

It is viewed as a defining characteristic of Scotland and the Scottish people.

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.

Mr Al Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days. No compassion was shown by him to them.

But that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days.

Our justice system demands that judgement be imposed but compassion be available.

Our beliefs dictate that justice be served, but mercy be shown.

Compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs that we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people. No matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated.

For these reasons – and these reasons alone – it is my decision that Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, convicted in 2001 for the Lockerbie bombing, now terminally ill with prostate cancer, be released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya to die.

The US should really STFU until they get round to apologizing for giving William Rogers a medal instead of a court martial.

It is a pity that al Megrahi's appeal had to be dropped, as there are number of Scottish families who would like to find out who really blew up the plane over Lockerbie, and why the yanks were so keen to blame Libya.

Irrespective of that, the Scottish legal system allows for terminally ill patients to be released on compassionate grounds -that was the law when Megrahi was convicted, so no one can complain if the law is applied now.

If you don't like it, feel free to never visit Scotland, drink our whisky or eat shortbread ever again.

That's the risk you take though, medical prognosis can never be 100%, but you have to act on the best information available at the time. This isn't Ernest Saunders here, he does have prostate cancer and it is going to kill him, no question of either- it's just inconvenient that he won't do it to the expected timescale.

The counter to the "He's not dead yet" argument I think has to be that if you want a 100% guarantee that the person involved will definately be dead within 6 months, you'll never be able to release another person in this way. Some people might approve of that of course but it's not the law.

It seems like Megrahi would have been released anyway if his appeal had gone ahead but medical advice was that he would not live long enough or else we could keep a man the doctors said was dying in jail neither of these are attractive choices. I dont like to think that a mass murderer is going free but on balance I support the scottish government decision

Scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against our people and those from many other lands. The pain and suffering will remain forever. Some hurt can never heal. Some scars can never fade.

Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. Their pain runs deep and the wounds remain.

Oh purleeeeeeeeease

Just paint yourself in woad and queue up to follow Mel Gibson will you? Utter and complete starry-eyed bolleaux.

Aye – much better if we'd bow down and lick Obamas shoes like your weasily English Prime Minister eh?

Well, as a general rule, sucking up to superpowers isn't a bad idea. And having a convenient englishman to do it for you is one of the better ways to do it, rather than getting our own tongues dirty. At least Cameron's going for the shoes, that's a step up from the last one.

have you seen obamas poll ratings I would nt waste my time licking his boots

have you seen obamas poll ratings I would nt waste my time licking his boots

Poll ratings mean nothing… look how long Bush was around. 😀