Lockerbie bomber released

Lee este artículo en español | 25-08-2009| Politics & Law

A!er eight years in a Scottish jail, the only man convicted of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988 and killing 270 people – the Libyan Abdelbaset Al Megrahi – has been released on compassionate grounds.

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The Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill announced the decision this week, citing compassion towards a sick man, and infuriated relatives of those who died in the bombing, as well as US and British politicians, who thought the decision unstatesmanlike.

Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds in the end, and not under a prisoner transfer agreement.

The British Foreign Office had mistakenly believed foreign affairs to be a reserved power under the devolution agreement with Scotland.

The smug attitude of Libyan government officials upon Al Megrahi’s arrival contrasted with the shrill, rather undiplomatic tone of statements coming out of both Whitehall and Washington.

Some conspiracy theories offer circumstantial evidence which points the finger at an Iranian connection to the outrage, after the US Navy mistakenly shot down an Iranian passenger plane in 1988.

They believe Al-Megrahi was tried in little more than a kangaroo court – despite international legal formalities – and wrongly convicted, alleging officials tampered with evidence and overlooked certain anomalies.

They believe they have uncovered new evidence which would implicate others in the bombing.

Scotland’s cosy relationship with US tourists will also be put under the spotlight: some US groups have already started organising online campaigns to boycott Scottish goods.

British business interests are very much at the forefront of this week’s conspiracy theories, which place Libya’s bountiful oil reserves at the top of the wish list for British companies wanting to operate in Libya.

No-one has yet explained, though, why the Scottish Nationalist Party would be interested in helping British companies do business in Libya.l

El vocabulario de esta semana

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Nouns:

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1. bombing – atentado
2. outrage – indignación
3. compassion – compasión
4. diplomacy – diplomacia
5. relatives – familiares

Noun phrases:

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1. prisoner transfer agreement – acuerdo de tranferencia de presos
2. kangaroo court – tribunal irregular y arbitrario
3. foreign office – Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores
4. circumstantial evidence – pruebas circunstanciales
5. reserved power – poder reservado
6. cosy relationship – relación de amiguetes
7. Iranian connection – conexión iraní
8. conspiracy theory – teoría de la conspiración

Verbs:

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1. to shoot down – derribar
2. to convict – condenar
3. to try – juzgar
4. to blow up – explotar, explosionar, volar
5. to infuriate – enfurecer

Verb Phrases:

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1. to tamper with evidence – interferir con las pruebas
2. to point the finger – señalar, acusar
3. to betray a pledge – incumplir una promesa
4. to overlook anomalies – pasar por alto las anomalías
5. to uncover evidence – descubrir pruebas
6. to release on compassionate grounds – conceder la libertad por razones médicas

Adjectives:

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1. statesmanlike – propio de un estadista
2. smug – petulante
3. shrill – estridente
4. bountiful – copioso
5. foreign – extranjero, exterior, de exteriores

Las frases de esta semana

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1. Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds in the end, and not under a prisoner transfer agreement.
2. The British Foreign Office had mistakenly believed foreign affairs to be a reserved power under the devolution agreement with Scotland.
3. The smug attitude of Libyan government officials upon Al Megrahi’s arrival contrasted with the shrill, rather undiplomatic tone of statements coming out of both Whitehall and Washington.
4. Scotland’s cosy relationship with US tourists will also be put under the spotlight: some US groups have already started organising online campaigns to boycott Scottish goods.
5. British business interests are very much at the forefront of this week’s conspiracy theories, which place Libya’s bountiful oil reserves at the top of the wish list for British companies wanting to operate in Libya.