Most excellent news.

"Justice Secretary Jack Straw to be Accused on Torture in Parliamentary Inquiry"

Now that's a headline I'd like to see more of! ;)

We are with you in this.
You should apply for immediate 24/7 police protection.
This is no joke.
You are a state witness in one of the biggest racketeering cases of our time.
In the eye of a manufactured but deadly "War on Terror".
May your efforts lead to a speedy end of torture by our state agencies.

Awesome news. How can we ensure the proceeding is videotaped so everybody can see you?

Well done Craig.

Three cheers for your courage mon brave.

The Briton recently mentioned by the Guardian as being subjected to torture (in Egypt) is Azhar Khan, a 26-year-old whose brother-in-law (Omar Khyam/Ausman) and a number of his friends have been jailed for terrorist offences.

The UK security services allegedly fed questions to the Egyptian intelligence officers who detained Azhar Kahn when he flew into Egypt in July 2008.

Azhar Khan was arrested 4 years earlier in March 2004, under Operation Crevice, however he was then released. The Operation Crevice (fertiliser plot) trial concluded in April 2007. Shouldn't the questions posed by the security services have been asked during that long trial?

Further info here:
http://tinyurl.com/cnxhdp

Torture also featured in another suspect involved under Operation Crevice: Salahuddin Amin - the Crevice case hinged on the confessions extracted from Amin by the Pakistan ISI (under knowledge of the UK authorities), and on the testimony of overworked Al Queda supergrass Mohammed Jaunid Babar - see details here:
http://tinyurl.com/2yuwht

I look forward to your welcome contribution to the JCHR proceedings, Craig.

I'll be there. If at any time you find out, perhaps you could post the answer to this: Will it be sufficient just to queue early enough at the Visitors' Entrance to the Houses of Parliament, or will some prior arrangement need to be made, to ensure access to the hearing? Thanks

Excellent news Craig. Superb persistence and a standing ovation (albeit such things have been cheapened to those dreadful party conferences etc) to all who helped this come about by writing to your JCHR, MP's etc..

But my gut says it will not come to anything. The system is NOT going to let itself be undone by this - there are tens of things that will be done to stop any punitive results or meaningful chance come from this.

Protection 24/7 is actually very necessary Craig! Not so sure the police are the best to supply it. Antiestablishmentarians do get killed, some overtly so! As you have said you very nearly experienced that before! The icing on the cake is that such murderous events are done in ways which point at the wrong group of people!!!

Others have their lives ruined by less morbid ways.

Congratulations Craig. Have you thought of showing your dossier to 'Private Eye'?

Take good care of yourself.

Dear Craig,

Congratulations and good luck, I fear you are going to need it! Still, I suppose this is your day it court, and I hope it'll live up to your expectations. It would be nice to think that the truth and honesty, still counted for something.

Many congratulations!! Well done Craig. And look after yourself WELL in the meantime.

Delighted

Well done Craig,

Keep up the good fight!

It is essential for those who control the government to maintain the veneer of democracy. If Craig had been excluded from giving evidence it would have shown the reality. I would think it very, very unlikely that they would harm Craig in any way; it would just be too obvious.
But I have no doubt that their questions will be exceedingly well rehearsed with intelligence service input. It's here that Craig will have to use all his wits and let them make fools of themselves rather than they of him. Stay cool. Don't let them provoke you.

Splendid news.

I gather that the more the public are aware of the situation then the safer should be the witnesses.

Way to go Craig!

I can't be there myself (at the other end of the country) but my spirit will be hovering on you shoulder saying "give 'em hell, boy!"

r Thos who do want to go should make sure they get there early. If your MP is friendly, see if s/he can get you in.

If there is another session starting a bit earlier you could always turn up and say you want to go to that one...

Worth it just to put one on Straw, possibly the most unpleasant MP I've ever met...

I don't think committee sessions often get too full. I wouldn't anticipate problems getting in. You shouldn't have to join the main queue, which is for the Commons gallery.

Bon courage mon vieux, and don't walk under any ladders !

You are an inspiration, a reminder that there are more honest people than dishonest ones .

Much love

frog2

"I will prove my evidence with documentation."

Craig

I hope and prey you don`t get a burglar? or fall under a bendy bus before/after 28 April?.I would put NOTHING past this lot.

Well done Craig and I wish you luck.

Any chance of a speaking tour?

So proud of you Craig.

Well done: I am glad they saw sense.

Please be as measured, calm and forthright as you can be - it'll be a lot easier to dismiss what you say if it were to happen (hypothetically of course) that you are baited and taunted during the session.

Excellent news, Craig.

I will try to be there.

Excellent result Craig.

Looking good, so far, Mr Murray.

Here's hoping it can be seen on TV at some point.
Unfortunately, I can't be there but you take my best wishes with you.

Congratulations, Craig.

Obama has already repudiated the US's previous policy on extraordinary rendition & torture. So the JCHR can with comfort consider this matter as a problem of the past, and lay the blame fairly & squarely where it belongs - on Jack Straw - safe in the knowledge that they are not taking any chances with the ongoing special relationship on intelligence sharing with the CIA and so on.

A JCHR report saying that Jack Straw did what he thought he had to do to protect the special relationship, but that what he did was wrong. That is all we ask.

Ssalutary comment from Ruth at 7:58 PM - don't let 'em provoke you (the questioned will be shurely be sanitised, but with that pre-arranged jilt to get you off-guard), but you should respond calmly with something that provokes them...like the use of evidence gained from torture (albeit not on our soil, but with the contemporaneous knowledge of the uk spooks) used in UK trials ( Salahuddin Amin, Rangzieb Ahmed to name 2)...

Don't be phased by any threats (including comments on here) & use your wits & yer noddle...

Allahu Akbar! Well done and well fought. Congratulations to you , Craig.

Nasty New Labour will be able to bury plenty of bad news on the day this s**t hits the fan.
Meanwhile have you any thoughts why nothing is happening in Gaza? it looks like the real Mr Nasty is holding out for total submission and the destruction of Hamas before paying out 1p.

He is ultimately to blame for the U.K.'s involvement with torture which you will now be able to describe, thank God, not Jack Straw, who might have to retire quietly to the House of Lords.

If Blair gets his way Israel will launch another offensive to completely destroy Hamas and then we can have a nice summer of discontent out of which Mr Brown can emerge purified, gleaming and sweet, ready for next year's election.

@ Pistorius.

If you say my words to Craig regarding "caution for the purposes of self-preservation" are a threat then I strongly object!

I see no threats on this post, just concern by a number of commentators for a fellow we have come love as a decent human being.

Why not turn your own pseudo-conspiracy back on yourself and tell Craig not to pay any attention to he who would like Craig to ignore good and cautionary advice.

This is great news. Is there any official confirmation anywhere? I have looked all over the BBC, google news, and the JCHR website, but there's nothing I can find about it at all.

David. "Justice Secretary Jack Straw to be Accused on Torture in Parliamentary Inquiry" means Murray will accuse Straw when Murray gives evidence to the committee. Straw hasn't been charged by any legal apparatus (yet)!

Well done, Craig, and well done all.

This is very good news - well done, Craig. I'm afraid my instincts say that an awful lot still has to happen before we can bury this foul government, but your work provides a little glint of hope.

Congratulations to you, Craig - and to all of us who care what kind of country we have become.

Take care, all the best and well done.

Woot!

Well done Mr Murray. I wish you all the very best.

Well done, Sir.

It's been a long, hard road.

Give them hell.

Good man. Brave man, too. And +1 for showing your evidence to Private Eye - they're pretty much the last bastion of serious journalism in this benighted island.

Well done, Craig.
@anticant - I emailed Private Eye to suggest they get involved supporting and publicising what Craig is doing. One of their journalists sent me a rather odd response about appearances in the Guardian and Independent diary columns... I emailed him back asking what the hell his point was. I also forwarded is to Craig for comment, but I've had nothing back either from Craig or the Eye.
I guess the Eye doesn't want to help ad Craig doesn't care either way - happy to be corrected.

I wish to attend this meeting - where will it be held? Also, it doesn't seem to be on the committee's website.

Go get em kid !

Craig

These sessions DO sometimes get "sold out", as I can testify from experience. Much depends on which Committee Room they put you in - they vary considerably in capacity. Can you find out in advance which room it'll be in and how many public seats there are, then post the answer here?

It's a good job Craig is only going up against these vile but incompetent bastards, and not against Francis Urquhart, because you know what would happen to him then.

Really well done Craig.

Your bravery,stamina and principles are truly an inspiration.

Give these evil bastards what for.

What shocks me is that so many posters here believe that this lot of sinisters charlatans will stop at nothing to try gag you.This fact alone indicates how beyond the pale They truly are.
An evil dangerous bunch of bastards.
The very best of luck to you.

Craig

Have you seen this...

http://tinyurl.com/d3364t

Great news.

By coincidence ex-FO Carne Ross, critical of Iraq and Afghanistan policy, gave evidence to the Public Administration Committee yesterday. Did you know him Craig?

You can watch his evidence, and Katharine Gun, Dr Brian Jones and Derek Pasquill, at:

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=3724

Paul Flynn (a good Labour MP) says of Carne Ross:

Today was an unforgettable gift of a day. I met four heroes. Three of them had sacrificed their careers for deeply held principles. ... [Carne Ross] is a brilliant young man of high idealism. What a tragedy that there is no place for him in our Foreign Office.

He also had a period of depression when he resigned from the FO. More on Paul Flynn's blog:

http://paulflynnmp.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/03/a-day-for-song.html

I hope your session gets the same treatment by MPs.

If you Google for "Rendition" [UK pages] you will find some useful links.

Slow down

Yes, a very satisfactory outcome. I'd caution that you go well armed and assume that no one is your friend - until otherwise proven. Certainly there may be a (standard Straw) diversionary move to try to get you to justify your own actions - rather than examining the actual evidence - so it may be important to ensure separation of those two aspects.

Lonely it is, but you're certainly up to the difficult task. What is needed here is a lot of daylight. The presentation of your evidence to the Committee is a very decent start.

rwendland,

Carne, all too briefly, worked for me at the start of his carrer (well, he did the work and I took the credit). We have not been much in touch lately, but we get on well. He went through a very bad period on leaving the FCO, as I did, but he has had considerably more success than me in rebuildding his career. Independent Diplomat is a good concept and appears to be a success.

John D Monkey

As soon as I get any info I'll let you know. It seems like quite a few journalists will be coming along.

Take care of yourself up to that appearance,
seriously. And no, this isn't a threat.

Hats off Craig,

Echoing others here, there's a lot to be said for staying in company and not wandering off on your own. I'm sure you can dig it.

Sideways to this - Why is it that whistleblowers and people with incriminating evidence always announce possession of the data, rather than just get on and post it? Honestly, what was Debra Jean Palfrey thinking? "Wow, I could get rich!"? Yeah, right. Get dead more like.

Whistleblowers! Get a clue! Don't announce anything. Don't hold out for some imagined pay-off. Don't send it to the media. Don't send it to the police.

Just go to blogger.com, make a blog and post it all there. It's free and it's easy. Nor should you put all your eggs in one basket. Google for other likely looking blogs and websites and email them the data as well.

All of this can be done at any internet cafe for a couple of bucks and ideally within an hour or so.

Simple simple stuff.

I think I am echoing most other posters here when I offer congratulations for your persistence - it seems to have paid off nicely. Well done, and best of luck! I will see if there is space on the day in the public gallery for me also.

Craig,

When I told you you are an inspiration I don't think I fully understood what I was saying.

I was depressed by how these investigation cover up more than they reveal, and this one, to be honest, may yet do so.

But how hopeful we now feel seeing news like this. And it has come about through _your_ persistence and perseverance. That is what is inspiring.

There is a chance that these cracks in the armour, when sufficient in number, lead to the slow attrition which tears and weakens the fabric of their specious legitimacy.

This could be a real thorn in their side. This really could make a difference. I salute you, Sir, and your indefatigability, as Galloway said to Saddam.

Well done!

I will be there if I can. Don't stop. Give them everything you've got. What have we come to, torturing without trial, those legally innocent?

Maybe it will help if you pretend you are not there, but instead imagine you are addressing all of humanity. This is your big chance. Go for it!

We are all with you.

Best Wishes,
Stephen

The select committee calendar http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HOCselcomCal.pdf was updated yesterday 23 March, but still nothing about the JCHR on 28 April... anywhere, except on this blog. I'm concerned this may be some kind of an elaborate fob-off. Craig, have you thought of publishing the notifications you have received?

Stephen: "There is a chance that these cracks in the armour, when sufficient in number, lead to the slow attrition which tears and weakens the fabric of their specious legitimacy."

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y

What you say, is what I feel.

All the comments about 'this might not work', and 'there is this difficulty', etc., don't really help.

What helps is saying 'I'm backing this all the way. We won't let this go. I am doing this to help......'

If you can't say those things or commit to following this all the way, say something short but good. And always keep praying and keep your eye on due process of law, and the truth. Keep your mind's eye on it.

"There is a chance that these cracks in the armour....."

We have all seen on film a few very small cracks in a reservoir precede a sudden and total collapse.

A system can flip, just like that.

I have looked at the two sessions linked from here: (i) torture, and (ii) whistleblowing.

Not for the fainthearted. Merciless grilling but the witnesses all stood up very well. They would nearly restore your faith in the human race.

May the force be with you.

great man MR Murray-I salute you- . not many in england are so brave as you are what with this having become a police state.
only be careful because the english govt is no stranger to a terrorist act agsint individuals who they donto like.
Wish you all the best in your hearings and thanks again fro figthing on behalf of huimanity.

Thank God for people like you. I wish you every success.