Today I print in full an open Letter to the Lord Advocate of Scotland. This is from supporters of Craig Murray and Mark Hirst. Please read and share.
OPEN JOINT LETTER: The Lord Advocate Mr Walter James Wolffe QC Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Office 25 Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LA 31st May 2020 Dear Mr Wolffe, We are writing to you to express our growing concern over the actions of both the Crown Office and Police Scotland. In recent weeks vocal independence supporters and backers of the former First Minister Alex Salmond, specifically the former UK diplomat, human rights campaigner and journalist Craig Murray along with fellow journalist Mark Hirst, have been arrested and charged in relation to comments they made publicly during and following the trial of Mr Salmond. Other supporters of Mr Salmond have also been contacted by police and warned over online comments they made in the wake of the trial. We are particularly concerned to note that the investigating police officers are the same detectives who led the investigation against Mr Salmond over a period of two years and at considerable cost to the public purse. As you know, the prosecution following from that investigation, pursued again at considerable cost to the public purse, resulted in the acquittal of Mr Salmond on all charges and now raises the most serious questions about why that investigation and that prosecution were pursued. Whilst we appreciate that you cannot be involved in individual cases you will undoubtedly be aware that complaints of alleged Contempt of Court were made against six other individual journalists widely regarded as being hostile in their reporting of Mr Salmond. No action by the Crown Office or Police Scotland has been taken against any of those individuals. This leaves the distinct impression that Police Scotland, at the direction of the Crown Office, are acting in a manner that is both biased and disproportionate. As you will be aware, for public confidence to be maintained in our independent legal system the law must be able to both demonstrate it is acting impartially and be seen to be doing so. The actions taken so far risk establishing a public perception that both Police Scotland and the Crown Office are conducting themselves in a manner which is biased and is indeed political in nature. Such perceptions risk seriously damaging confidence in the Scottish legal system. We would welcome your fullest public response to the concerns raised in this letter and any meaningful public assurances you can offer that both Police Scotland and the Crown Office are complying with their obligations to act with complete impartiality and to apply the law fairly.
Professor Noam Chomsky (linguist and political scientist) Yanis Varoufakis (Author, former Greek MP and Finance Minister, philosopher, economist) Professor Robert Black QC (Professor Emeritus of Scots Law, Edinburgh University) Sir David Hare (Playwright, screen writer and film director) Kristinn Hrnaffson (Investigative journalist and Editor in Chief of Wikileaks) Tariq Ali (human rights campaigner, journalist and historian) Roger Waters (co-founder Pink Floyd, political activist) Lawrence B. Wilkerson, (US Colonel, Ret, former Chief of Staff, US Department of State) Paul Kavanagh (Columnist, The National newspaper) George Kerevan (Journalist, Former SNP MP, former Associate Editor of The Scotsman) Tommy Sheridan (Convenor, Solidarity and former MSP) Ann Wright (Former US Ambassador, US Colonel, Ret, and former US diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to President Bush’s war in Iraq) Christine Assange (human rights campaigner and mother of Julian) Gordon Dangerfield (Solicitor Advocate) Hugh Kerr (Former Labour MEP, author and journalist) John Kiriakou (CIA whistle-blower) Coleen Rowley (Retired FBI Agent and former Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel, 2002 Time Magazine Person of the Year) Ray McGovern (Former CIA Officer, Founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity) Robert Tibbo (lawyer to Edward Snowden) Annie Machon (former MI5 officer, author and journalist) Katherine Gun (former GCHQ whistle-blower) Clive Ponting (former Government whistle-blower) Stuart Campbell (Editor, Wings over Scotland) James Kelly (Editor of SCOT goes POP! and columnist with The National) Neil MacKay (Singer-songwriter, Scottish independence activist) Liz Dangerfield (solicitor) Campbell Martin (Broadcast journalist and former SNP MSP) Elizabeth Murray (former Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East & CIA political analyst) Robin McAlpine (Political strategist) Bogdan Dzakovic (9/11 aviation security whistle-blower, FAA Security, Ret.) Robert Wing (former US Foreign Service Officer) Marshall Carter-Tripp (Political science professor and Foreign Service Officer (retired) and Division Director, State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research)
12:00 AM
There is an article in The National here:
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18486299.global-stars-rally-back-salmond-supporters-contempt-case/
😉
Disappointed not to see John Pilger’s name on this letter.
Well composed, Roddie, and making the most common sense.
I honestly don’t know what the hell those involved in this are thinking, it’s not even a ‘professional’ job of dishonesty, do they think they’ll cut this? If it weren’t for the grave nature of the whole episode I’d say it’s becoming farcical, but farcical is for lesser heads for rolling – these are very prominent individuals at the top of this slag heap. Scotland’s a small country, anything rotten taking place is far easier to expose than countries with a bigger labyrinth of opportunist characters and those in power with dubious intentions. I’m now getting the impression that the people responsible for this craven, utterly shambolic mess have simply been way too big for their boots, and now that a major stink is beginning to ooze I’m betting there’ll be some shaking in those boots at the moment. I fucking hope they’re suffering. How dare they.
I’m glad that, thanks to the solidarity of friends, bloggers, and those who benefit from fair and just laws, opposition to this charade of justice is now gathering steam; and well it should, for it’s doing nothing but sullying Scotland in its entirety, a bad look when we’re increasingly being regarded globally as a progressive, outward-looking nation: how dare they jeopardise that progress. ‘Will you potential businesses expand and locate in Scotland?’ – No, not if the justice system is rotten, why would we?
I must say, that is an impressive array of names appearing at the foot of the letter, and at the risk of stating the glaringly obvious, whilst emphasising it – this is a very serious matter, with serious consequences for those involved. Resignations are inevitable.
Good work, Roddie.
Well done in publishing this letter.
It’s an important document that should be shared far and wide. I hate to say it but if there is a response it will be a phillybuster response full of word and short on meaning. That’s if there is a response personally I think it will be patched with a big rubber ear. The whole thing reeks and they are not even pretending anymore
Very well said, thank you for trying.
Great letter and thank you. Is there a time frame/deadline by which they must respond?
Writing a letter is one thing taking legal action is another
The letter might be ignored or solicit a lame response
But in my opinion if those in positions to uphold the law actually break the law they can be charged with doing so
Who will bring those charges
Who will be the accused
How much will the action cost
Who will pay for it
Who would represent you ?