Justice Undone: The Release of the Lockerbie Bomber

摘要

On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people, 189 of whom were U.S. citizens. Twelve years later, Libyan national, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, was convicted of conspiracy for planting the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103, and was sent to a Scottish prison to serve a life sentence. On August 20, 2009, however, Scottish Government officials released al-Megrahi on grounds of compassion given his diagnosis of prostate cancer and a stated prognosis of three months to live. His release directly contradicted an agreement between the U.S. and U.K. governments that anyone convicted in the terrorist bombing would serve out their term in a Scottish prison. At the writing of this report, almost 16 months later, al-Megrahi is still alive. In June 2010, United States Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), joined by Senators Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Charles Schumer (NY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), undertook an investigation of al-Megrahi's release. The investigation focused on two critical questions: Could medical science have supported al-Megrahi's three-month prognosis. If not, what motivated the U.K. and Scottish Governments to release al-Megrahi.