This blog will be going dark for a few months. The Queen kindly paid for my dinners for over twenty years while I was a British diplomat and Ambassador, and now she is going to be paying for my dinners again. That is very kind, I thought she had forgotten me.
The following is a statement from Nadira:
29.07.21
Today is the most heartbreaking day. My husband whose health has been found to not be suitable for prison must hand himself in for detention within hours following the UK Supreme Court’s decision not to hear his appeal.We were extremely hopeful that the Supreme Court would hear his case and had no doubt that this particular case should have been heard given how important and relevant it is in the context of Freedom of Speech in the UK. Instead, the Supreme Court declined to hear it.
Yet again my heart is deeply saddened to find that the UK, once a country which placed great importance on Human Rights issues, has failed to listen to my husband’s case. Additionally, the Scottish Court outright dismissed Craig’s poor health, having been made aware through the mandatory Social Work report and doctor’s reports that his wellbeing would be at risk if forced to go to jail.
At first I tried to come to terms of him being jailed in the hope he would be granted dignified conditions in jail but I am saddened and shocked to learn he could be placed among criminals, with no ability to bring books or enable him to write, with no entertainment allowed. He is being treated like a criminal. This is not a just punishment, this is a deliberate attempt to break the spirit of anyone brave enough to make use of free speech.
Given a pen and paper what do you do? You write in your own voice speaking the truth. Having been with Craig for two decades he has always spent his time and energy highlighting injustices and standing up for what is right, carefully, considerately and consistently.
I was brought up during Soviet times, and post independence in my own country, Uzbekistan. I have witnessed and personally experienced myself what the price of freedom of speech truly is. Opponents were ‘disappeared’ or it was claimed they had ‘taken their own life’, or been locked away in asylums. I am filled with fear this pattern is now repeating itself in the UK. It is appalling to see Craig is going through the same treatment in the so-called ‘human rights’ respecting country UK.
This is an attack on Truthtellers. His writings are those of a highly qualified Journalist, Human Rights Activist, former Rector of Dundee University and former British Ambassador. To us, his family, this situation is devastating: I am now left with my 5 months old baby, yet to find a good way to explain Craig’s jail sentence to his confused and anxious 12 year old son.
Of any readers concerned with the loss of freedom of speech and equality before the law I ask that you show active and outspoken solidarity with my partner.
A Craig Murray Justice Campaign has been formed which I hope you can support. Find them on twitter @cmurrayjustice . Their website will be up shortly and details will be posted on this site.
———————————————-
I am well aware that the last few weeks I have posted very little, because the constant worry of having a jail sentence hanging imminently over my head, which became very oppressive. For the last several Friday afternoons I was watching the clock until the time came when I was confident no warrant would come and I could have another weekend with my children.
Subscription to this blog has always been voluntary and anyone is free to read and reproduce without subscribing. These subscriptions have become the major source of income to myself and my family, and I am especially grateful to those who have maintained their subscriptions when it has not been really functioning. I shall be immensely happy if you can continue until I am back. The struggle continues after this holiday.
Unlike our adversaries including the Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, the Atlantic Council and hundreds of other warmongering propaganda operations, this blog has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. It runs entirely on voluntary subscriptions from its readers – many of whom do not necessarily agree with the every article, but welcome the alternative voice, insider information and debate.
Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.
Choose subscription amount from dropdown box:
Paypal address for one-off donations: [email protected]
Alternatively by bank transfer or standing order:
Account name
MURRAY CJ
Account number 3 2 1 5 0 9 6 2
Sort code 6 0 – 4 0 – 0 5
IBAN GB98NWBK60400532150962
BIC NWBKGB2L
Bank address Natwest, PO Box 414, 38 Strand, London, WC2H 5JB
Bitcoin: bc1q3sdm60rshynxtvfnkhhqjn83vk3e3nyw78cjx9
Ethereum/ERC-20: 0x764a6054783e86C321Cb8208442477d24834861a
Subscriptions are still preferred to donations as I can’t run the blog without some certainty of future income, but I understand why some people prefer not to commit to that.
Bastards.
Is there an address to which we can write to you as a prisoner? To prevent unwanted gifts, perhaps a list of suitable items could be maintained by your asociates here, and items crossed off as appropriate.
[mod] spam promoting his own website
Another one-off PayPal from me. Keep strong.
Even though I consider you verbose and vainglorious, Craig, and don’t like how you appear to be revelling in political martyrdom, I have just posted a piece titled JE SUIS MURRAY!
https://jaggy.blog/2021/07/30/je-suis-murray/
With `friends’ like you, he probably doesn’t need enemies.
I found the affidavits extremely useful for putting together an accurate picture of the corruption at the heart of the Scottish government. I downloaded them (as I did with everything he wrote about the Salmond trial). All of it is extremely important and useful material which is simply unavailable elsewhere.
I’d much prefer if someone younger and fitter and without a family were being banged up in chokey. The political martyrdom is extremely useful for drawing attention to the poisons lurking under the mud which are hatching out.
Stenographers will be wedded to their salaries and careers. They earn their chairs at the kiddy tables and believe they are kings.
Always afraid.
I quite pity their kids who are going to have to deal with the ignominy of their forebears. like German Nazis did.
DunGroanin – I don’t know exactly what you’re trying to say here, but I looked at this guy’s blog (Rob Brown) and he does look like a strange piece of work.
I don’t have any adverse opinion on Jaggy. And his o/p here is clearly tongue in cheek in my opinion. Do you really believe it?
DunGroanin:
It’s clearly not tongue-in-cheek, in my opinion.
DunGroanin – try reading his blog piece and his replies to the comments below the line.
He makes it clear that he doesn’t have any time at all for Craig Murray in the important points – he states quite clearly that he thinks that the defence arguments for Alex Salmond were reported quite adequately in Main Stream Media (I can’t be bothered trawling through his grim blog to find it again and post it here – besides, it would lower the tone of this blog).
I simply came away with the strong impression that Jaggy is bad news – with `friends’ like him, one really doesn’t need enemies.
Thanks T, I’ll perhaps visit his site over the next few months of darkness here and pay a bit more attention and maybe engage with him on his own doorstep as I do with other bloggers, which I am sure he would welcome.
Lol Jaggy, you’ve just described yourself! Without the martyred bit, tomato maybe ?lol only joke….
Verbose? There are no wasted words in Craig’s articles. He uses language precisely. If there are sometimes many words, it is because much needs to be said. He clearly works at his prose. If it is sometimes hard work to read all of it, it is not wasted work; there is no fluff.
As for his allegedly “revelling in martyrdom”: that is an obvious projection of other people’s sadistic pleasure in his political persecution.
And the very fact that he is willing to risk imprisonment, even though it is clearly a frightening prospect, gives the lie to the petty accusation that he is “vainglorious”.
Well I just can join the others sending my best wishes and thoughts. Good luck.
God bless all of you Craig his wife and children, and his extended family and friends,, his sacrifice is humanities blessing.
He doesn’t deserve this kangaroo justice.
i am very sorry to hear this craig……. the uk continues on a slippery downhill slope…. what a messed up power structure that will surely fall apart – sooner the better… clearly they have been threatened by those who speak truth to power…their hold on power is unsustainable..
Well, I always thought that common sense would prevail and, one way or another, the charges would be dropped.
How stupid was I.
I knew that there’s no justice here, only the law, but I didn’t realise just how corrupt the law is nowadays.
Can I be charged with contempt of court for these comments? I wouldn’t be surprised.
Best wishes Craig.
There is no justice. Quadrupled my subscription. Don’t let the bastards grind you down Craig and best wishes to you and your family in getting through this travesty. There is a special place in hell for those claiming to be honest judges in the Scots and English legal systems.
“the UK Supreme Court’s decision not to hear his appeal…”
My jaw dropped and hit the floor! How is it possible? What does it mean?
Do you want to say that the Supreme Court has a choice? Is it an option? Is it really so that they may just decide not to hear an appeal?
Appalling!
Is not the Supreme Court a state institution functioning on taxpayer’s money?
Tatyana, The Supreme Court does indeed function on taxpayers’ money. But it is an institution of the Crown.
Here is the oath sworn by all British judges:
Judicial oath
“I, _________ , do swear by Almighty God that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth the Second in the office of ________ , and I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will.”
https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-judiciary-the-government-and-the-constitution/oaths/
Hopefully that oath will give you some idea of who it is who is behind all of this. Hiding like the coward she is.
I still can’t understand!
I could understand if the Supreme Court would hear the appeal but leave it with unfavorable decision – that would mean they do the job they are paid for. But refusing to hear???
How do you, people there, tolerate this?
I’m a taxpayer here in this country, I’m a driver. They make roads from my taxes, I use the roads. You see? It’s very simple.
I pay utility bills, they maintain the infrastructure from my money. They can refuse me their service if I don’t pay my bills and taxes. But they cannot if I’m a normal regular taxpayer.
The Supreme Court, how can they refuse the hearing? Are they a private ownership business, like a hairdresser or nails artist? Moreover, even a hairdresser cannot refuse their service out of a sudden. There’s a public offer concept in the law, to regulate their responsibility.
The Supreme Court of the UK apparently agrees with the verdict of Scotland’s highest court for criminal cases, and so has decided not to hear the appeal.
I regret that this appears to strengthen the case both for Scottish independence, and for an independent Scotland and rUK to have written constitutions, which could look at the whole legal systems.
“Is not the Supreme Court a state institution functioning on taxpayer’s money?”
That is a very good question.
The right answer is No. It does not function on Taxpayers Money.
Nothing paid by a State, functions on Taxpayers Money.
They are paid by the State with Magic Money they create everyday. Craig Murray’s prosecution and incarceration is paid by the same method. No lack of tax could stop their mercenaries daily bread.
These are the lying bastards that are so afraid that CM is just one hole in their dam of lies they are trying to stop by this insane action against him. Opting for their ancient example of ‘pour encourager les autres’. To mix metaphors further, they are dumb enough to break a butterfly on their wheel.
Dumb dumb effers.
speechless. your posts were not only well written, but also brought sanity to this world’s insanities. Something ís rotten in the state of….well, Scotland, the UK, Empire…. Like with Julian, you and yours are in our hearts. Your blog has created a unique community and you can be assured we’ll stay in touch. Be well, God Bless.
Do not fight imperialism.
Do not fight Zionism
Do not seek truth.
If you do that you can keep out of jail.
I am horrified by what has happened to Craig. What a horrible place Scotland has become. I can’t believe they have gone this far. I hope justice will eventually be done.
The reason(s) for refusal to hear this case will probably be that there is not an argueable point of law in the general public interest! If you look through the SC lists of refusals, this seems to be their usual reason. Too bad Craig, it makes the justice system look very silly to imprison a person for this sort of thing. You are certainly not a danger to the public and I’m sure you will be able to write a blog about your experiences in prison. You are a 21st century Peter Porcupine!
“You are certainly not a danger to the public” but he must be a danger to someone.
Craig and Julian go to jail and possibly stay there not because of what they’ve done, but because of what they will do, or more precisely, not do. Neither Craig nor Julian will ever stop; they are committed truth tellers and both extremely influential. That scares the powers that be and an example of them must be made.
I expect that Blogging will be clamped down on next, and now Britain and Scotland has shown itself willing to hold people illegally by tying them up in Permanent legal postponement for the USA I expect a lot more of it.
“he must be a danger to someone”
too right!
Thank you for all your work, Craig, and for your fine words again today outside the Scottish Parliament.
The thoughts and practical support for you and your family are coming from all over the world.
The hero of our time (but without the romance).
Massive injustice has been done to you Craig. It has given me the impetus to subscribe to you.
I am so sorry to hear of this. It feels vengeful for both the original verdict, sentence and for refusing to hear any kind of appeal. Feels like a lot of old scores being settled.
I have read all of the articles in question and I know that they broke no law, I also know that you didn’t disclose any more information about the complainants than any other journalist in print or TV news. This was a selective prosecution and I believe it was done in order to have the only record of Salmond’s defence taken down. Your articles made it clear why Salmond was found to be innocent by the jury ie he didn’t and couldn’t have committed the crimes he was accused of.
It may be cold comfort to know that you can serve your sentence with a clear conscience. The coverage of this is scant and the chilling effect of this and how Assange has been treated is clear. Hopefully you will be treated with more respect inside prison than you were by the courts and government.
Hope to hear from you soon and please take the time to write something of the state of the prisons, I know that much is said but not by people who know anything about the subject. Good luck!
Do right by all people according to the laws and usages of this realm without fear or favour without affection or ill will.
I have had to return from Vietnam to the UK – never thought I would but here I am.
I hope to be able to get involved in the defense of freedom of expression now I can. Were those in positions of power to have their way entirely they would curtail these hard won rights to the extent they are in Vietnam.
For now all I can offer is moral support. Stay positive and this too shall pass.
You will become more powerful than they can possibly imagine.
Dear Craig,
I am very sad and depressed to read this news. Is it possible for your lawyers to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights to overrule the UK Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the original appeal? I hope they can do all that is possible to overturn the prison sentence. Best wishes to you and all your family.
Really sorry to hear that this has been done to you & your family Craig.
Jesus , peace be upon him , advised his followers to be meek, like children, all accepting. The devil’s plan is weak and consists of raising our hackles through pride, why am I being treated in this humiliating way?
Those who do politics, in other words lend their support to criminals in exchange for world favours, are completely confounded when their victims do not succumb to pride, and maintain their innocence in dignity.
There is a brand of prison officers who harden themselves to the fact that prisoners are criminals and that is excellent in the case of criminals. But Lady Dorrian and the Supreme Court judges are the criminals in this instance because they have sent a totally innocent man to jail.
These judges deserve the absolute contempt of all journalists, moralists, lawyers and law-abiding citizens because they have bent the Law which is there to.protect us all and prostituted themselves to the rotting corpse of the disintegrated British Empire.
Craig has identified nobody. But the corpses of British Empire have identified themselves with a pungent smell of decomposition.
G,
There is nothing stopping the individual apparatchiks of the judiciary from saying they will not do their allotted daily task tomorrow at the sheer injustice of this action, is there?
So why won’t they?
The Students and Edinburgh Festivalers though?
Any prize chasing Comic would now not perform they should instead divert all effort and money to the Free CM campaign! For tomorrow The State will come after them and who will they turn to for defence?
DunGroanin
There is a genre of joke in Kurdistan which finishes with the words, ‘ better if you hadn’t touched it ‘. Like the president who wanted Independence who lost a third of the land to Iranian forces returning from destroying Mosul.
England is a millimetre away from losing its place in on the world stage, and locking up its critics is the mistake of a delusional PM trying to impress a delusional Potus, using a delusional FM and a delusional Home Secretary from Israel. Better for them if they hadn’t opened this ridiculous case against Craig.
As Ghandhi said first they ignore you, then they ridicule, then they FIGHT you …then they LOSE.
BIKO was imprisoned along with Mandela and the other Anti -Apartheid leaders and it was when the people saw there was only one way to secure freedom – by taking on the mercenaries of the State and demand their leaders be freed that the imperialists packed their bags and RAN demanding fair play !
On such moments does the world turn.
I am glad to be witness and participant to it in my small way.
Stand with Craig Murray or be a poltroon is my take, to the Scots , English, Welsh and the World.
I am thinking of you Craig Murray, along with Julian Assange and Daniel Hale and all other whistleblowers and reporters who have courageously stood up for justice. It is a pity that certain governments have lost the meaning of justice. I will continue to donate to your cause.
Another dark chapter in the contemporary history of Britain, stay strong Mr. Murray, the country needs people like you, best regards to you and your family.
The jailing of Craig and Julian Assange is purely done to discourage any other journalists/bloggers/ youtubers
from revealing any State secrets ( the stuff that actually is in the public interest and should be ) and looking at the output of our informers and entertainers it seems to be entertainment all the way.
The so called MSM in some eras was genuinely investigative but now they are all back in their parameterised box.
As far as The Salmond case goes then he was found guilty of nothing so a fallback punishment was required.
Craig unfortunately is the recipient of the revenge.
We have in England the most useless ( whether you are a Tory or not ) bunch of n’er do wells I’ve ever witnessed in charge of a country and this has an effect on Scottish Welsh and Northern Irish politics and the leaders of these nations have become parameterised too.
At one point in time there was someone leading a party and I and many others thought ‘ Blimey this is the first time in a General Election I’ve had something to vote for rather than a vote against ‘
Sadly Corbyn and Labour were put back in there box via the self censoring media.
I have no doubt that Johnson and his woeful government are being managed and ably assisted by the MSM with the BBC being the most supportive – maybe good salaries depend on that but it’s more than that as a lot of BBC presenters- producers and directors actually support and vote for the Tories despite the clapping of Health Service workers and Carers – clap/smile/ vote Tory.
Sturgeon is no Corbyn and even she is vilified in the media as being some kind of Marxist – she patently isn’t but that’s enough to stir the hearts of the quite well off Scottish Unionists across the nations and Scotland in particular.
No expert but it strikes me that Sturgeon is more of an SDP’er rather than a left Labour Party leader and she wants to keep all sides of the political discourse happy – that is negotiating with capital to ameliorate the effects of austerity and rampant in equality.
I would say she’s almost Starmer but Starmer doesn’t have a sizeable Remain vote in England hence the silence.
Big things are heading everyone’s way at the end of September and big questions will be asked by the populace,
The parties with no answers will fall like stones ( may be the Labour Party’s fate?) and left and right will fill the gaps as the not so Progressive Centre will offer nothing but the same – as will Biden eventually.
Craig I think is a victim of the status quo ists and is the fallguy for the coward who won’t speak up and defend the ordinary people but will take their salaries just the same whilst claiming to do a good job as Democrats.
How they look at themselves in the mirror each morning without shame I don’t know but they will continue to carry on spewing out garbage for a fee.
I hope Craig can get through this attack as I do with Julian Assange but I don’t expect any support from the supine media quarter – they are bought and paid for – yet others will follow good examples so that they can look in the mirror without shame.
Perhaps Johnson and Sturgeon have put their mirrors in the basement for fear of looking at themselves?
Same and similar are not words that are far apart.
Good of you to defend Sturgeon but have you forgotten who was behind the persecution of Salmond?
David.
I don’t defend Sturgeon she is similar to Starmer and the Lib Dems she thinks that there is a ‘ Middle Way ‘
to facilitate a sort of compromise between excessive capitalism and labour.
We have been there before and here we are where we are now with income disparities in the stratosphere.
Craig maybe represents the very polite ( legal) version of opposition to the problem – I don’t.
I don’t know whether you do – but as a lefty I’ll back Craig and Corbyn -unless you are a left purist of course?
It seems to me we are everywhere in retreat yet Craig and a few like him have obstinately and courageously stood their ground, against arbitrary power, against fear, against lies, against obscene privilege and staggering corruption.
To paraphrase Jeremy Corbyn, it’s not Craig they’re afraid of, it’s us. Really we need the solidarity of mass action, as that is the only argument these corrupt elites understand.
In lieu of that, I will be increasing my subscription and donating what I can. I hope that will be some help.
“the Supreme Court declined to hear it” – Reading about “post-democracy” is one thing, but reading about this happening in real time is terrifying. You are fighting a huge wave of general and unquestioned self-submission. I am impressed by your bravery.
Quite simply, this is a fucking travesty. Best wishes Craig and stay strong.
I am very sorry that Craig has been convicted and is being jailed on the flimsiest of grounds. They are removing the most courageous of our truth tellers from circulation and subjecting them to the most awful predicament with very little fuss. I cannot believe that they will deny him pen and paper and books.
I will miss Craig’s detailed and concise reports and insightful commentaries on the immorality and misdeeds of the empire.
I hope that Craig is able to rejoin his family in good health and maintains his supreme intellectual capacity to inform us of the nature of our custodial system.
Best wishes to you and your family Craig.