Release al-Megrahi

Published on Wednesday 15 July 2009 21:05

The integrity and human decency shown by Jim Swire and John Mosey (your report, 8 July) are truly remarkable, given the ongoing trauma they face in the aftermath of the Lockerbie atrocity and ensuing legal fiasco.

Disappointing, though understandable, is the blinkered position taken by some of the American relatives, whose vain search for justice has, sadly, led them to settle for revenge as mitigation for their loss through the continued punishment of an innocent man.

Their personal tragedy is compounded by the betrayal of their unquestioning belief in their country's professed moral principles and their inability to accept they have been lied to by the US and UK governments

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill now has the opportunity to repair the damage done to the Scottish legal system's international reputation, by agreeing to Jim Swire's proposal that Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi be immediately released and returned home to Libya. It is imperative he does not hide behind jargon and shows the moral courage needed to see off pressure from "friendly" foreign or home-grown powers to drop the appeal.

JOHN DOBBINS

Balbeggie Street

Glasgow