Justice for Megrahi

Justice for Megrahi (JFM) is a single issue justice campaign group comprising the committee and the signatories. It maintains that on the basis of the evidence laid by the Crown before the three judges of the High Court of Justiciary at Kamp van Zeist (Netherlands), the 2001 conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie (Scotland) was a miscarriage of justice. Although the central plank of JFM’s position is concerned with the contention that no reasonable court could have convicted on the basis of the evidence as presented to the court, it also acknowledges other factors beyond this relating to, amongst other things, the fact that whilst the Crown was aware of evidence of value to the defence case before the trial, this evidence did not become public knowledge until after the verdict had been passed. JFM exists to address issues surrounding the investigation of the destruction of the aircraft and the subsequent trial of Mr al-Megrahi and Mr Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah. Its main objective is to campaign to have Mr al-Megrahi’s conviction quashed.

History

Justice for Megrahi was founded in November 2008 following the judicial hearing which set out the arrangements for Mr al-Megrahi’s second appeal. The appeal had been referred back to the Court of Appeal on a total of six grounds (largely concerned with the quality of evidence provided by the Crown’s star witness at Kamp van Zeist, Maltese shopkeeper Mr Tony Gauci) by Scotland’s expert and independent legal authority, which has responsibility for referring cases to the Court of Appeal: the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC). The initial aim of JFM was to campaign, by means of a public petition to be submitted to Scottish Government ministers, for the compassionate release of Mr al-Megrahi in light of his terminal medical condition. In September 2009, following the prisoner’s release, JFM began its campaign to have the 2001 verdict overturned via a comprehensive independent inquiry, or other judicial means, into the Lockerbie case. JFM contends that the reputation of Scotland’s justice system has suffered a severe blow because of the Zeist verdict and that only through testing the validity of the verdict can this reputation be redeemed.

Structure

Justice for Megrahi comprises the committee, made up of its founding members, and the signatories who endorse the JFM campaign. The current (August 2010) committee members:

Professor Robert Black QC

Mr Robert Forrester

Father Pat Keegans

Mr Iain McKie

Doctor Jim Swire

The original signatories:

Ms Kate Adie (Former Chief News Correspondent for BBC News)

Mr John Ashton (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)

Professor Robert Black QC ("Architect" of the Kamp van Zeist Trial)

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")

Mr Robert Forrester (Justice for Megrahi Committee)

Ms Christine Grahame MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament)

Mr Patrick Haseldine (HM Diplomatic Service - retired)

Mr Ian Hislop (Editor of Private Eye)

Fr Pat Keegans (Lockerbie parish priest on 21st December 1988)

Ms A L Kennedy (Author)

Mr Andrew Killgore (Former US Ambassador to Qatar)

Mr Adam Larson (Editor and proprietor of The Lockerbie Divide)

Mr Iain McKie (Retired Police Superintendent)

Ms Heather Mills (Reporter for Private Eye)

Rev’d John F Mosey (Father of Helga Mosey: victim of Pan Am 103)

Mr Charles Norrie (Brother of Tony Norrie: victim of UT 772)

Mr Denis Phipps (Aviation security expert)

Mr John Pilger (Campaigning human rights journalist)

Mr Steven Raeburn (Editor of The Firm)

Mr James Robertson (Author)

Dr Jim Swire (Father of Flora Swire: victim of Pan Am 103)

Sir Teddy Taylor (UK MP: 1964-2005. Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize Winner).

Text of Petition PE1370

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to open an independent inquiry into the 2001 Kamp van Zeist conviction of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988.

Name of Petitioner

Dr Jim Swire, Professor Robert Black QC, Mr Robert Forrester, Father Patrick Keegans and Mr Iain McKie on behalf of Justice for Megrahi.

Prior Action

In support of Justice for Megrahi’s (JFM’s) call for a full and open public inquiry, the group has lobbied the following bodies and individuals:

• the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organisation
• all missions with a seat at the General Assembly of the UN
• the African Union
• the League of Arab States
• the Non-Aligned Movement
• the President of Egypt
• the governments of Libya, Malta, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, United States of America and Scotland

With the exception of the Maltese and Scottish governments, none of the above has responded to our advances.

In September 2010, JFM made representations to the First Minister, Mr Alex Salmond MSP, in the hope that the Scottish Government would establish an inquiry into the affair under its auspices citing the following reasons:

• 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 al-Megrahi was convicted under Scots Law.
• Mr al-Megrahi was imprisoned in a Scottish gaol.
• the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the second appeal to the Scottish Court of Appeal.
• Mr al-Megrahi was given compassionate release by the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice.