World: Scotland defends its release of the Lockerbie bomber
- We understand that, we recognise that … But the process of compassionate release doesn’t depend on the guilt or innocence of the party. It’s an evaluation based essentially on the medical condition of the prisoner.
- Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister • Responding to criticism by the U.S., most notably FBI Director Robert Mueller, for allowing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi to go free for medical reasons. In case you’re wondering (we certainly were), Scotland is a part of the United Kingdom but it has its own legal system separate from the rest of the union. So, it wasn’t the U.K. that made this decision – it was Scotland. • source