Families of Lockerbie Bombing victims complain to BAFTA over STV documentary award nomination
The relatives of families killed in the Pan Am 103 disaster, have lodged a complaint to BAFTA over its award nomination for ‘The Lockerbie Bomber – Sent Home to Die’ documentary.
The UK families of victims of the bombing have claimed that the theory within the film that the bomb had been carried on Air Malta Flight (KM180) was ‘actionable’, with Granada TV having already settled out of court with the airliner, reports legal publication The Firm.
The families are reported to have contacted BAFTA to challenge the film’s nomination in this year’s BAFTA Scotland awards.
The letter states that the film should “not be regarded as investigative journalism", and have also claimed that "it will not look like an honourable move" if handed the recognition.
Air Malta has already proven that no bags were transferred from this flight onto Pan Am 103 or 103A, when it sued Granada TV for the claim.
A spokesperson for STV, commented: “We are confident that the recent STV documentary reported the facts of the case, as legally established in court.”
Sir,
I understand that the STV documentary 'The Lockerbie bomber - sent home to die' has been nominated for a BAFTA (Scotland) award.
May I point out that this programme was based upon the official version of how the Lockerbie bombing came about and who was responsible, without any apparent attempt to question what we, as citizens, are expected to accept from 'the authorities'. As such, it seems that this programme could not be regarded as investigative journalism, which one would have expected from a documentary on such a subject.
Indeed I had occasion to write to STV about this programme pointing out that its facile acceptance of the theory that the Lockerbie bomb had been carried on an Air Malta flight (KM180) was actionable. If you conduct an archive search on the 'Guardian unlimited' website, you will find the following in an alphabetical list of reasons why the 'official version' is highly dubious, and why STV's programme might itself have been actionable. I have highlighted the relevant sentences below. In addition, John Ashton, whose name is upon the Guardian website piece is about to publish an astonishing book on the whole subject:-
M is for the Maltese connection
A series of Sunday Times investigative pieces reported that the Lockerbie bomb had first been put on a plane in Malta..... A bag which ended up on Pan Am 103 [the Lockerbie aircraft] was identified by a baggage handler as coming from an Air Malta flight. When a Granada TV documentary repeated the allegations, Air Malta sued Granada for libel. A hitherto unpublished document from Air Malta's lawyers demonstrated that there were no bags on the flight which went on to Pan Am 103 or 103A. Granada settled out of court.
Here is a supportive reference from the island of Malta itself: there are plenty of other references.
The BBC on the other hand aired a programme in which they took the trouble to track down the key identification witness in Malta and to expose how he had been bribed with American money ($2,000,000) to give evidence against the so called 'Lockerbie bomber' in court.
This bribery had been hidden from the court which tried the so called 'Lockerbie bomber'.
I am a relative of one of the Lockerbie murder victims and I would strongly object to BAFTA giving recognition to the STV programme.
Obstructed as we are by those in official positions who have a great deal to lose if the truth of this gross deception becomes public, we are involved in a search simply for the truth as to who murdered our loved ones, and why they were not prevented from doing so in the face of all the warnings extant back in 1988.
Of course STV have every right to air whatever programmes they choose within the law, but to give your accolade to them for this programme would be detrimental to the interests of those who still need to know who really murdered their families, and why they were not prevented from doing so.
In this search we have the support of human rights within the law, as well as, surely, the common humanity of ordinary people to support our right to these truths. When the truth comes out, as eventually it always does, it will not look like an honourable move to have given recognition to such a programme.
BAFTA (Scotland) might give an evening of joy to STV, we have a lifetime to face without those we loved, and we intend to get to the real facts, to which we have every right.
I have copied this email to our lawyers.
Dr Jim Swire father of Flora, murdered with 269 others at Lockerbie on 21 Dec. 1988.