| Submit your comments on this article |
| Africa North |
| Lockerbie families angered as Megrahi survives |
| 2010-08-16 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] The regrets of a cancer expert who assessed the only man ever convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie jetliner bombing have intensified the anger felt by victims' relatives over Scotland's decision to release the Libyan on compassionate grounds. Professor Karol Sikora and other experts had said Abdel Baset al-Megrahi probably had only three months to live when he was freed from a Scottish jail last August and allowed to return home to Libya. But one year later, Al-Megrahi, who is being treated for prostate cancer, is still alive. Sikora, one of three experts who assessed al-Megrahi's health for Libyan authorities, was quoted by Britain's Observer newspaper Sunday as saying he should have been more cautious about the chances of survival. "If I could go back in time, I would have probably been more vague and tried to emphasize the statistical chances and not hard fact," Sikora was quoted as saying. "In medicine we say 'Never say never and never say always,' because funny things happen. All you can do is give a statistical opinion," said Sikora, dean of the School of Medicine at Buckingham University, in central England. Which is why we don't like to say that a man has but three months unless we're pretty darned (as in, 99.9%) sure. You sir, were not that sure, yet you proffered an opinion regardless. Hate to ask this of a brethren doc, but what were you offered? Scottish authorities deny that the opinions of Sikora and the other experts who advised Libya entered into the decision to release al-Megrahi, though families contend that the advice must have played a role. Did any of those 'authorities' lose their jobs yet? No? "It's obvious the whole thing was flawed," said Frank Duggan, president of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, an advocacy group that represents some of the families of those killed. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 "If I could go back in time, I would have probably been more vague and tried to emphasize the statistical chances and not hard fact," Sikora was quoted as saying. However, if he was just another NHS patient, they would have just pulled the plug without a hint of remorse. When he still did not have the proper dignity to pop off right away, the staff would have left him starve to death in the hallway. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-08-16 07:33 |
| #3 Family member should not complain. Raise $150,000.00, hire a professional international hitman and take care of your problems in an up close and personal manner. |
| Posted by: Elder of Zion 2010-08-16 06:33 |
| #2 "The doctors in the case have been dragged through the mud, when really it is very difficult to assess how long someone will survive," he said. "It was a difficult decision to make and was made in good faith." Next time, wait until the body hits room temp. He had no mercy, neither should his victims. AFAIAC, putting him in jail instead of feet-first into the hopper of a wood chipper was the first mistake. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-16 01:32 |
| #1 Fred, Al Arabiya attributes this to the AP, and this is the AP article almost word for word if not exactly. It looks like we'll have to go deeper than just going by the name of the link. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-08-16 01:30 |