(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Three quarters of people in Britain reject the Scottish government’s decision to release Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi from prison on compassionate grounds, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 75 per cent of respondents share this view.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Three quarters of people in Britain reject the Scottish government’s decision to release Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi from prison on compassionate grounds, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 75 per cent of respondents share this view.
In 1988, 270 people died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. Megrahi, a former Libyan intelligence agent, was convicted for the crime and sentenced to life in prison.
On Aug. 20, Scottish Government justice secretary Kenny MacAskill granted Megrahi a release on compassionate grounds, stating that the prisoner had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and was expected to die within three months.
Megrahi is still alive. It has been speculated that his release is linked to either a future sale of arms and military equipment to Libya, or to the protection of business interests of the British-based oil company BP in that country.
On Jul. 21, British prime minister David Cameron—who has publicly condemned the decision to release Megrahi—said that "we should not leap to an inquiry" into the case, but admitted that "yes, we might have to look again" at opening an investigation.
Polling Data
As you may know, Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 27 years for his role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988. Megrahi has been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. His advisers requested that he be freed from the Greenock prison (near Glasgow) on compassionate grounds, and the Scottish Government agreed to this request last year. All things considered, do you agree or disagree with the decision to release Megrahi on compassionate grounds?
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Agree
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18%
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Disagree
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75%
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Not sure
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7%
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Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,992 British adults, conducted from Jul. 20 to Jul. 23, 2010. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
