First Weekly Meeting
The first topic of the semester will be an open discussion on the Scottish government’s release of Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, which has been a topic of hot debate these past month. The only person convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, al-Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds: medical evidence showed he would die within 3 months from terminal cancer. On December 21, 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 was destoyed by a terrorist bomb killing all 243 passengers, the 16 crew members including 11 Scottish citizens. In 2001, al-Mehgrahi was convicted for the bombing and received a life sentence. He was welcomed home in Libya as a hero–sparking angry sentiments in the western world.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=352hoJw0ZEg]
What do you think?
Should al-Megrahi have been released? Is this a violation of justice? Should the victims’ families have had a say in this? What about the Libyan’s reaction to his release? Join us for an exciting discussion at 7:30 pm at SMG 304 on Wednesday, September 16th to discuss your reaction and reactions of leaders around the world.
Background on Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was a transatlantic flight from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s JFK Airport on Wednesday, 21 December 1988. The aircraft, a Boeing 747, was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members. Eleven people in Lockerbie, southern Scotland, were killed as large sections of the plane fell in and around the town, bringing total fatalities to 270.
To read more about Pan Am 103, click here to visit the Wikipedia page.
