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.
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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.
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Not all prisoners are criminals. The British state is adept at locking people up to hide its misdeeds. After the initial shock I think you’ll be fine because you get on well with people and many will have very interesting stories. It’ll be a great opportunity to promote Scottish independence and prepare tactics for when you’re released. Nadira must stay calm and positive especially with the older son. The few months will flash past.and you’ll be together again ready to take on the deeply corrupt English Establishment and their lackeys in Holyrood.
Am I missing something?
This case was initiated by a Scots government, pursued in Scots courts, under Scots law. Every aspect of the process was held under the gaze of the people, the government which prosecuted both Craig and Salmond were recently returned to power, their mandate renewed.
And the last hope in this process-that the court of appeal in London (the Supreme Court in Blairite argot) would intervene has now been dashed.
What this case has shown is that absent a social revolution, ‘Independence” will simply mean as it always did that the ruling class, one of the most vindictive and ruthless in Europe, will act with even more freedom as it exploits its victims and stifles all criticism.
The sad truth is that the inhabitants of the British Isles missed a very promising exit towards self determination and freedom in 2017 when, thanks in part to the SNP and its implicitly anti-socialist direction, the rapidly growing Labour Party just failed to win the election.
At the very least there should be a protest in support of Craig. Does anyone have any idea when and where would be a good time, or have any clue how to organise one??
Yes, it would be good if those that support Craig in the UK could become a bit more pro-active and try to inform the public about this political imprisonment (as well as Assange’s). Protests are a means, but I am sure there are others. Are there any media or politcal representatives that can reach a larger audience in the UK to protest this absurdity?
Tim.
I honestly wish that were so.
You have to remember that Julian Assange has no backing even from the media who released his research in the search/revelation of the truths – they have now climbed back into the MI6/5 box.
Unless The Sun Telegraph et al take up the freedom of the press cudgels then all we have is bloggers/journalists libre who publish and be damned.
Craig’s is one of the few.
left Liberal yes – backable? – most certainly as a dissident.
You shouldn’t need to type that word ( dissident ) in alleged democracy but you have to.
You don’t agree – dissident you are against the norms of the State.
Then the State cannot be Democratic even in its bourgoise sense.
I have once again written to Amnesty International. I would urge you and everyone you know to do the same (cynicism is not helpful).
Dear Amnesty
I would like you to take up the case of Craig Murray, a Scottish citizen, who has been jailed for whistleblowing on corruption at the highest levels of the Scottish Government.
Craig covered the trail of Alex Salmond, at which the jury found that 8 out of nine complainants had perjured themselves under oath, and the ninth complaint was “not proven”. This was clearly a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, and Craig demonstrated that the trail leads all the way to the First Minister’s office and the head of the Scottish judiciary.
As a result of his whistleblowing, Craig has become a political prisoner in Scotland, imprisoned on the trumped up charge of “Jigsaw Identification”, (of which he is not guilty, but plenty of people in the mainstream press are). The judge in the trial made no attempt to conceal her personal malice, and the sentence was extraordinarily harsh in comparison to other convictions for the same charge. Craig has a young family and serious health issues.
You can find more details on his blog http://www.craigmurray.org.uk
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to raise his case.
Best wishes
Tim Glover
Does anyone know where Craig will be held?
Craig himself mentioned “Soughton jail” in his speech which is H.M.P. Edinburgh.
And so hold on, Craig. Actually, I found some press reports in Scottish newspapers, so not everyone is silent. Herald Scotland, the National, something else.
Oh, Craig, I am so sorry.
By their deeds you shall know them.
You must have scared the shite out of them when you made it clear, in your writing, that the highest levels of the SNP conspired to frame Salmond in order to get him out of power. And it didn’t take a jigsaw identification to gather that.
They really, really don’t want to let Scotland go free.
Nonetheless, this persecution, the kangaroo trial, the egregious sentence, the refusal to hear your appeal, is an indication that Britain has already hit bottom as a corrupt government. No more slippery slope needed.
You are in our thoughts and prayers, and of course my family will continue our subscriptions. Ganbatte kudasai.
the supreme court in london could see as well as anyone else that this was a highly selective prosecution. their decision to allow the travesty to proceed shows the extent of lingering rage at your dissent on assange, uzbekistan etc.they don’t care what it looks like, in fact they want it to look disgracefully unjust in order to cow any imitators. very predictably not a peep about your persecution from the great and the good of uk media, politics or the legal profession.
I’d like to write to Craig to express my gratitude and support during this challenging time, does anyone know of the address for such correspondence?
Craig – so sorry the bastards are doing this to you. (And to Julian, and Daniel Hale, and Ola Bini, and Steven Donziger, etc, etc.) We live in a world full of hypnotised zombies, manipulated by sadists and psychopaths, But more people do shake off the trance every day so it is possible we will get to critical mass before it is too late. None of which will save you from a very uncomfortable time ahead. Please remember every day that there are people outside the jail walls fighting for you (and the other political prisoners) and against the bastards, Also, that a great gathering of friends and well-wishers are sending love to you and your family.
An absolute obscenity. Please put up details of the crowdfunding as soon as reasonably possible, or is financial support to remain the preserve of Craig’s usual subscription process?
Is a petition worthwhile?
You are a strong minded, principled guy and you will get through this with the support of your loving family and the legions of supporters out here who are deeply pissed off to say the least. Scotland is now the abyss that Nietzsche wrote about.
So sorry, Craig. Keep well, keep sane. You are one of the few bright stars in a very dark night sky.
Craig.
Absolutely outrageous!
Corruption in UK politics and law has metastasized.
You should take some consolation from the fact that by publishing the defense case in Salmond’s trial and supporting Julian Assange you have seriously offended some of the powerful, hopefully their consequent anger may kill them by stroke or heart failure.
I suspect that in the Salmond prosecution the concealment of complainants names has also concealed that they are all or mostly part of a cabal closely connected with Nicola Sturgeon and there is good reason to suspect that Alex Salmond’s claim of his prosecution being a conspiracy is plausible.
Please take your appeal all the way to the ECHR.
If there is any chance of getting a court to say that the decisions of the UK’s courts are wrong it is necessary to take it. I will continue to support your legal appeal.
Regards Carlyle Moulton.
The lack of any support for Craig from Alex Salmond is deafening – or did I miss something?
I concur
On the face of it, this seems like a sinister case of hierarchical collusion to enforce the status quo and subvert democratic expression. These days you only get a few years for murder, let alone for free speech! It seems, I believe, there’s some string-pulling going on, at the very least!
Sinister is the appropriate word!
I would truthfully call the Scottish NATIONAL Party the Scottish PRIVILEGE Party! They put a 33% tax on the lowest price of alcohol and NOTHING on what they themselves and their upper class chums drink. This is purely to prevent poor working people enjoying a drink in their own homes. I believe they collected £160 million on ONE YEAR from this brutal tax on the poor. They also run a SUBSIDISED BAR for THEMSELVES, believe it or not! I emailed them angrily but got a fob-off reply from minions, who refused to forward the email to the actual government!
‘A few years for murder’?! Really? I don’t believe it 😀
Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey have put out statements of support. The ALBA Party website has been frozen since 18th June.
Hanvey’s statement gets to the heart of the matter – “The vindictiveness of those who wield power is on naked display.”.
i guess the guy is scared after his own persecution, but from afar it is disappointing, after Craig put himself on the line defending Salmond.
How do you suppose any statement of anger by Salmond would be spun by the banshees in the MSM and what repercussions it would cause to the ongoing legal battles?
It ain’t over till it’s over. And we are way off that end yet. As I am sure AS, CM and their legal advisors would know best.
Churlish goading and whining is not going to change any of our minds about the primary focus – political imprisonment without a jury trial – a fascist states recourse.
Keep trying though – it shows up the troll scripts and their minions.
Craig &/or Nadira &/or whoever knows the answers.
Is it really true that Craig will be deprived in prison of pen, paper and books?
I suspect that he may not be able to take them in with him but surely he is allowed to write of his prison experiences. Does the UK have an equivalent of the US’ Special Administrative Measures?
Carlyle Moulton
What a disgrace.
“To go to prison because of your convictions and be prepared to suffer for what you believe in, is something worthwhile. It is an achievement for a man to do his duty on earth irrespective of the consequences” – Nelson Mandela
You are a greater human being than most of us.
Strength to you and your family.
Stay strong, Craig.
I would hope that you will be sent to an open prison such as Castle Huntly near Dundee, after a few days admin in a closed prison.
Good piece today on Craig’s plight at the grayzone:
https://thegrayzone.com/2021/07/31/craig-murrays-jailing-national-security-state-independent-journalism/
So far, quite a deafening silence in the media, MSM and alternative, about Craig. Still waiting for the likes of Salmond, Galloway, Sheridan, Corbyn even to say something/anything …
i wish you all the very best, Craig, and thank you once again for your inspiration over many years.
Apart from that, words fail me.
JONATHAN COOK writes a detailed assertion of Craig Murray’s jailing as the latest move in a battle to snuff out independent journalism:
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2021-07-30/craig-murrays-jailing-is-the-latest-move-in-the-battle-to-snuff-out-independent-journalism/
The threat Lady Dorrian’s ruling poses to freedom of speech could hardly be more obvious. If liberal democracy were really the system its champions claim it to be there would be thunderous editorials this morning in all the British broadsheets making the same points as this excellent Jonathan Cook piece. But of course there aren’t because those broadsheets and the system they support are a sham.
This is what the Supreme Court of the UK has endorsed and is now enshrined . . .
“Write for the Times or the Guardian, or broadcast on the BBC, where the audience reach is enormous, and the courts will protect you from prosecution. Write about the same issues for a blog, and you risk being hounded into prison.”
Hi Craig, thanks for your honesty. I will increase my monthly donations as well to help you through. Main stream media is a joke, actually even worse than that.
Absolutely appalling. I have emailed my disgust to my MP, MSP and the FM in the strongest language I could.
I wonder if it would be possible to have a campaign to affix statements to the outside of the (closed) SNP MP and MSP constituency offices. Nothing threatening – just a statement of support for Craig Murray and disgust at the complicity of all SNP MPs and MSPs in his persecution.
The Fourth International weighs in to support Craig.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/07/31/murr-j31.html
NothIng up on Consortium yet.
Scotland, people given a short term sentence normally will be automatically released from prison into the community after serving half the time in prison. … so end of November would be be the release date
i hope that that is true, but this case is so abnormal, and the naked vindictiveness of the corrupt authorities is so apparent that i fear it is not.
I sense that slowly but surely we are being returned to a world where the only journalism seen and opinions heard are those of the most thoroughly vetted and credentialised. The radical edge of anti establishment dissent will once again very soon be figures like Rafael Behr, Paul Mason and Timothy Garton Ash.
We are there now.
To Craig and family,
Be assured that there are many who will remain steadfastly with you during these outrageous times and looking out for ways that we can provide more support to you all and contribute to a truly just resolution to this situation.
I, like many, will be checking the ‘Justice For Craig Murray’ website and Twitter page daily to keep abreast of developments and support.
Stay strong.
https://craigmurrayjustice.org.uk/
https://mobile.twitter.com/cmurrayjustice
Good luck Craig and Nadira, I will of course continue my subscription and look forward to reading Craig’s words again. Your son has been given the best start in life by having such intelligent and courageous parents who defend the truth at whatever the cost.
If, at some stage, (the four persons Craig has been said by her ladyship to have aided jizsaw identification)
these persons find themselves in court for attempting to subvert justice in Mr. Salmond’s case,
will Craig then be vindicated?
Are we to imagine that if these persons are taken to court that, even then, their names will not be allowed to be made public?
Michael – this is a hypothetical question. As you have probably spotted, Bute House, the Crown Office in Edinburgh, Police Scotland, the Holyrood Parliament are all extremely corrupt. Even though these women are plainly guilty of participating in a fit-up, they will never be brought to justice.
The women in question are probably all very good friends of Nicola Sturgeon and Lady Dorrian.
Jimmy, it could be that “They Shall Not Be Named” edict, was for a special reason.
It could be that the real reason, was so that, those persons could not be taken to court for perjury.
How can you take a person to court, if that person must not be named.
This is circular.
These persons, must not be named, so they can not be charged with any crime.
If they can not be charged with any crime, they can’t be asked who “Put Them Up To It” or “Who initiated the wrong doing”.
There was super serious real crime committed but it was not committed by Craig Murray but by others.
Michael – it was committed by Nicola Sturgeon.
More generally, have you noticed that absolutely everybody who is sympathetic towards the Palestinian cause and who is critical of the activities of the Anglo-Saxon empire and their illegal wars very quickly gets fitted up with sex crime allegations?
Jimmy, that is quite BRAVE of you to say Ms. Sturgeon is the ringleader, you could get ten years for that.
It is a “mystery” that the U.K. Supremes refused to hear Craig’s appeal?
Maybe they did not want somebody to “Put It To Them”
that the real reason the women were given anonymity
was so those persons could not be charged with perjury, therefore those persons could not be asked
“Who Put You Up To This?”
Michael – well, yes – a clear statement of the obvious related to Nicola Sturgeon does seem to be enough to get a person banged up. But this is not really frightening. All the best people are incarcerated – and I heard that the dinners aren’t too bad. Nowadays, it is clear that a prison sentence doesn’t mean that the person is considered to have done anything morally reprehensible.
Yes – the anonymity thing is extremely clever. Even if absolutely everybody sees through their little game, there is no way they could be brought before the beak for it; that would be illegal, because it would breach their anonymity. The way that anonymity has been interpreted means that it also covers any subsequent crimes they may commit.
criminals in general strongly support anonymity, no reason these criminals should be any different.
In his speech Craig said that he would be reporting to HMP Edinburgh at 11 am. So he must be in a cell by now. Friends in Edinburgh who know his family could (with their agreement) start to visit him straight away, to boost his morale. Info on writing to him, or stuff that people could send him could be posted here, if he’s delegated anyone to give such info to.
Craig is due to report for incarceration tomorrow morning. Yesterday he tweeted this:
Craig Murray @CraigMurrayOrg
I have to hand myself in at St Leonards Police Station Edinburgh on Sunday morning to go to jail
I don’t want it to be sad and I should be delighted if anyone wants to come along with a little snack brunch and a glass of bubbly to toast me off.
St Leonards Police Station 10.30am
Information about how to contact prisoners is available on the the Scottish Prison Service website: https://www.sps.gov.uk/Families/KeepinginContact/Letters-Phonecalls-Email-a-Prisoner.aspx
There is more info about the protocols at HMP Edinburgh here: https://www.sps.gov.uk/Corporate/Prisons/Edinburgh/HMP-Edinburgh.aspx
I wonder if Mr and Mrs Marmalade will be in attendance?
I stand corrected. It’s tomorrow, not today that he’s expected to hand himself in.
what is it you want to say to him?
Maybe something like ‘Good luck with the ECHR appeal & all the best’ i.e. more a general well-wishing message than anything else. But it would also be good to know eg if he would like any books sent to him. The message could be on an accompanying slip.
Looking at the websites Justin provided, it looks as though, to send Craig any gift, the sender would need his prisoner number, and in addition, to receive any item Craig would need to send the sender a “proforma” approved by the prison. This would seem to restrict such gifts to family or close associates (or people who know them). I can see that this protocol would exclude unwanted surprises. Please correct me if I’m mistaken, however.
I am sorry to hear this bad news, where is “your friend” Alex Salmond now? I asked you several months ago why you were brown nosing him? He is not a good person. Anyway, hope you will be with your family soon. You can add a former political jailed to your curriculum.
Philip Roddis comments with his customary brilliance:
http://steelcityscribblings.uk/wp/2021/07/31/craig-murray-jail-term-begins-on-sunday/
The depravity of the Lizard People who actually run Scotland and the wider UK knows no depths.
The SNP government and its toady/CRONY judicial system stand with peer comparison to Zimbabwe.
They certainly do not stand for Scottish Independence or The Rule of Law and are in fact up to their lizard ears in Whitehall’s shit.
Academic mutton dressed up as Legal incompetence.
The SNP is a dead end road for the people of Scotland