Craig Murray must be heard by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

This entry was posted on
Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
at
1:16 pm and is filed
under It’s War! It’s Legal! It’s Lovely!.

You know I don’t typically ask this of people, but your voice is needed today.

Here’s Craig Murray:

Craig Murray – Your Help Needed – Reveal Torture to Stop It

On Tuesday 10 March the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights will discuss whether or not to hear my evidence on the UK government’s policy of using intelligence from torture. They discussed whether to hear my evidence on 3 March but failed to reach a conclusion.

The government is lobbying hard for my exclusion. I need everybody to send an email to jchr@parliament.uk to urge that I should be allowed to give evidence. Just a one-liner would be fine. If you are able to add some comment on the import of my evidence, or indicate that you have heard me speak or read my work, that may help. Please copy your email to craigjmurray@tiscali.co.uk.

Please also pass on this plea to anyone you can and urge them to act. Help from other bloggers in posting this appeal would be much appreciated.

More here in a must-read post.

My letter appears below. Please don’t feel that you need to echo my point, as it addresses matters in a practical way that some might consider insulting:

To: jchr@parliament.uk
CC: craigjmurray@tiscali.co.uk
From : Tim Ireland
Subject: Craig Murray’s evidence

Dear Sirs,

I became aware of Craig Murray after he warned our government of torture and abuse in Uzbekistan, and had his career and reputation rubbished in response. I then later watched a senior cabinet member (Blunkett) praised by then-PM Blair as a man without a stain on his character – after he had actually done what Foreign Office elements of the same administration had only falsely accused Murray of (see: visas/favours and adult situations).

I have also watched Jack Straw turn down the most perfect opportunity to challenge Murray on his claims at a public meeting (see: 2005 general election). It wasn’t until Murray had left the room that Straw felt comfortable enough to claim that ‘we don’t do torture’.

Only now we find out that, in some cases, we do. We also found out a while ago that Jack Straw and Tony Blair had arrived at a policy of not being drawn on detail when discussing torture with the public.

And part of what Craig Murray claims – “I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves” – fits perfectly with recent discoveries of our role in overseas rendition, does it not?

It’s those pesky details is what it is, but I think you’ll find them the key to this matter, rather than a distraction.

You’ll also find that many people will remain deeply suspicious of this government (regardless of your findings) if Craig Murray is not allowed to present his evidence, especially after so much effort has gone into suppressing it.

And one of the big factors of torture – i.e. one that impacts on us as a nation – isn’t how things are sometimes, but how they appear.

Close Murray out of this investigation and the government will look as guilty as all hell, if you’ll pardon my manners.

Cheers

Tim Ireland
www.bloggerheads.com

A lot of work has gone into burying Craig Murray and/or his testimony. Let’s help to undo it. Just for kicks, because we’re wild and reckless and bored.








About Tim Ireland

Tim is the sole author of Bloggerheads.
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