Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Libya asks for Lockerbie bomber to be freed
Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:14pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Avril Ormsby
LONDON (Reuters) - The Libyan government has formally asked Scotland for the compassionate release of the former Libyan agent jailed for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the Scottish government said on Saturday.
Libyan authorities made the application on behalf of Abdel Basset al Megrahi, who was sentenced to life for blowing up a Pan Am airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie.
All 259 people on board the London to New York flight were killed, including 189 Americans, along with 11 people on the ground.
"We can confirm an application for compassionate release has been made by Mr al-Megrahi, and forwarded by the Libyan Government to the Scottish Ministers," a Scottish government spokeswoman said in a statement."
"Scottish ministers will not comment on the content of the application and will now seek advice on the application."
Libya has repeatedly brought up the fate of the 57-year-old Megrahi, who has terminal prostate cancer, most recently at a meeting in Italy between Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier this month.
But the British government has said it is a matter for Scotland, which has a separate legal system from the rest of Britain.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill will now consider whether the application should be granted.
APPEAL
If it is, Megrahi would not be required to drop his appeal against his conviction.
Earlier this month, the Scottish Appeal Court said his hearing would not be concluded until next year, raising concern that Megrahi will die before the appeal is settled.
Megrahi, convicted in 2001 in a special Scottish court meeting in the Netherlands, is in Greenock prison in Scotland.
Some relatives of those killed in the bombing support the move to allow him to go home, since they have never been convinced of the Libyan's guilt.
In May, Tripoli made an application to the Scottish government on Megrahi's behalf for him to return to his homeland as part of a Prisoner Transfer Agreement. A decision is likely to take up to 90 days.
Megrahi has previously been denied bail to go home, requested on humanitarian grounds. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Colombia says 18 rebels dead in jungle bombardment
Also on Reuters
Ericsson wins auction for Nortel's wireless assets
Blog: Ex-Facebookers could lose out on stock sale
CIT courts creditors, plans large debt exchange
More International News
Iraqi Kurds end voting; feud with Baghdad looms
| Video
Iran opposition urge clerics to act over detainees
Ousted Zelaya on Honduras border to pressure rivals
| Video
Suicide bombers and gunmen attack east Afghan city
Pakistan adjourns Mumbai case for a month
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Obama regrets remarks in racially charged case | Video
Skype singled out as threat to Russia's security
Naked girls plow fields for rain
First defense against swine flu - seasonal vaccine
Obama touts healthcare plan for small businesses | Video
Business Books: Costly gas is good for you
Black scholar agrees to beer with Obama, policeman
Tim Burton explores "Alice in Wonderland"
Iran vows to hit Israel's atomic sites if attacked: report
All U.S. children should get seasonal flu shot: CDC
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Obama regrets "stupidly" remark
Second plane smash in Iran
Zelaya crosses Honduran border
Japan storms trigger landslides
Obama's China policy
Geithner defends financial overhaul
China deadly bridge collapse
Dozens trapped in China mine
China, Russia in big military drill
Several killed in Poland storms
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.