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Calling All Brave Bloggers; Help Us To Help Craig Murray ...
In the interests of getting today's blog published as quickly as possible, please excuse what may appear to be less than a perfect layout.
What is important here, is content.
What follows from beneath the line, is a raw email received by Richard & This Old Brit today. It should be self explanatory. It's BIG. It's important. It needs YOUR help in gaining as wide distribution as is possible.
===================================================================================
Dear All,
It's not the al-Jazeera Memo, but these are some more documents that the UK Government are trying to suppress with the threat of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.
They detail our use of intelligence extracted by torture, and legal advice the Foreign Office received on the subject, and we need to get them out there as soon as possible before the government act.
If you could post them on your website, ASAP, it would be very much appreciated.
I attach our latest post on the subject. http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/716
Thanks very much for your help, if you are outside the UK, then you are not threatened by the use of the Official Secrets Act.
UK bloggers should be aware that there is the potential that we might get threatened, but as the documents are already appearing all over the internet, we think it unlikely at this stage.
CheersDan [ringverse] http://www.blairwatch.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------_
*Calling All Bloggers: These Documents need publishing *_
*Background:*The UK government has been quick to deny that we practice, or tolerate the practice of Torture. So it is perhaps not surprising that they are determined that you should not see the following
documents: http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/telegrams.pdf
http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/npaper.jpg
Craig Murray was the UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, until his complaints and protest at the use of intelligence gained by torture got too much for Jack Straw and the Foreign Office, who set about attempting to unsuccessfully smear him, and to successfully remove him from office.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3750370.stm
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2005/04/timeline_of_cra.html
The Foreign Office has had the draft of Craig's book for clearance for over 3 months now, and they are doing everything they can to try and prevent him from publishing his side of the story.
Their latest attempt to cover their own backs was to inform him, the night before Christmas Eve, that these two documents cannot be published, and that he was to return or destroy all copies immediately.
*What are these documents?
*The first document is a series of Telegrams that Craig sent to the Foreign Office, outlining his growing concern and disgust at our use of intelligence passed to the UK by the Uzbek security services.
The second document is a copy of legal advice the Foreign Office sought, to see if they were operating within the Law in accepting torture intelligence, and according to Michael Wood the FCO legal adviser; it is fine, as long as it is not used as evidence.
Faced with this heavy handed censorship by the FCO, in an attempt to cover up our use of and complicity in torture, Craig has decided to fight back, and has asked us all to publish this information, so it cannot be suppressed.
I am in discussion with the FCO over what I am and am not allowed to publish in my book. The FCO is seeking to gut the book of all evidence of complicity with the Uzbek regime.
With Bliar cornered on extraordinary rendition, they are particularly anxious to suppress all evidence of our complicity in obtaining intelligence from Uzbek torture. In particular, they have demanded I do not publish the attached documents, and that I hand over all copies of them.
The obvious answer to this is to post these documents as widely on the web as possible. This is also potentially very valuable in establishing that I am not attempting to make money from these documents - you don't have to buy my book to see them, they are freely available. If you buy the book, you are only paying for the added value of my thoughts.
This will only work if we can get the [documents] very widely posted, including on sites in the US and elsewhere outside the UK  there is a chance that those who  post this stuff will get threatened under the Official Secrets Act.
In March 2003 I was summoned back to London from Tashkent specifically for a meeting at which I was told to stop protesting. I was told specifically that it was perfectly legal for us to obtain and to use intelligence from the Uzbek torture chambers.
After this meeting Sir Michael Wood, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's legal adviser, wrote to confirm this position. This minute from Michael Wood is perhaps the most important document that has become public about extraordinary rendition.
It is irrefutable evidence of the government's use of torture material, and that I was attempting to stop it. It is no wonder that the government is trying to suppress this. Craig/Compare and Contrast the government's public position on Torture, with the information they werreceivingng at the time from their own Ambassador, and the legal advice they were seeking.We have archived a selection of government spin and lies on the use of torture in these 4 pages:
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/708
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/709
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/710
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/711
... and you can listen to Jack Straw and Tony Blair deny what you read in these hitherto 'secret' documents here.
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/down/strawhust.mp3
*What you can do:
*We have published the documents in full here, and ask that anyone who can will do the same.
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/715
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/714
If you could publish, host and link to these documents on your own webspace, then it will be harder for anybody to be prosecuted here in the UK, and ensure that they get maximum coverage.
Craig Murray stood up for what many of us believe, and it cost him his Job, his health, and his professional reputation. The least we can do his stand by him as he defies the UK government's attempts at censorship, and possible prosecution.
Craig's own post on the subject can be found here: http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2005/12/damning_documen.html
Thanks for your help.
What is important here, is content.
What follows from beneath the line, is a raw email received by Richard & This Old Brit today. It should be self explanatory. It's BIG. It's important. It needs YOUR help in gaining as wide distribution as is possible.
===================================================================================
Dear All,
It's not the al-Jazeera Memo, but these are some more documents that the UK Government are trying to suppress with the threat of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.
They detail our use of intelligence extracted by torture, and legal advice the Foreign Office received on the subject, and we need to get them out there as soon as possible before the government act.
If you could post them on your website, ASAP, it would be very much appreciated.
I attach our latest post on the subject. http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/716
Thanks very much for your help, if you are outside the UK, then you are not threatened by the use of the Official Secrets Act.
UK bloggers should be aware that there is the potential that we might get threatened, but as the documents are already appearing all over the internet, we think it unlikely at this stage.
CheersDan [ringverse] http://www.blairwatch.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------_
*Calling All Bloggers: These Documents need publishing *_
*Background:*The UK government has been quick to deny that we practice, or tolerate the practice of Torture. So it is perhaps not surprising that they are determined that you should not see the following
documents: http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/telegrams.pdf
http://users.pandora.be/quarsan/craig/npaper.jpg
Craig Murray was the UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, until his complaints and protest at the use of intelligence gained by torture got too much for Jack Straw and the Foreign Office, who set about attempting to unsuccessfully smear him, and to successfully remove him from office.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3750370.stm
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2005/04/timeline_of_cra.html
Their latest attempt to cover their own backs was to inform him, the night before Christmas Eve, that these two documents cannot be published, and that he was to return or destroy all copies immediately.
*What are these documents?
*The first document is a series of Telegrams that Craig sent to the Foreign Office, outlining his growing concern and disgust at our use of intelligence passed to the UK by the Uzbek security services.
The second document is a copy of legal advice the Foreign Office sought, to see if they were operating within the Law in accepting torture intelligence, and according to Michael Wood the FCO legal adviser; it is fine, as long as it is not used as evidence.
Faced with this heavy handed censorship by the FCO, in an attempt to cover up our use of and complicity in torture, Craig has decided to fight back, and has asked us all to publish this information, so it cannot be suppressed.
I am in discussion with the FCO over what I am and am not allowed to publish in my book. The FCO is seeking to gut the book of all evidence of complicity with the Uzbek regime.
With Bliar cornered on extraordinary rendition, they are particularly anxious to suppress all evidence of our complicity in obtaining intelligence from Uzbek torture. In particular, they have demanded I do not publish the attached documents, and that I hand over all copies of them.
The obvious answer to this is to post these documents as widely on the web as possible. This is also potentially very valuable in establishing that I am not attempting to make money from these documents - you don't have to buy my book to see them, they are freely available. If you buy the book, you are only paying for the added value of my thoughts.
This will only work if we can get the [documents] very widely posted, including on sites in the US and elsewhere outside the UK  there is a chance that those who  post this stuff will get threatened under the Official Secrets Act.
In March 2003 I was summoned back to London from Tashkent specifically for a meeting at which I was told to stop protesting. I was told specifically that it was perfectly legal for us to obtain and to use intelligence from the Uzbek torture chambers.
After this meeting Sir Michael Wood, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's legal adviser, wrote to confirm this position. This minute from Michael Wood is perhaps the most important document that has become public about extraordinary rendition.
It is irrefutable evidence of the government's use of torture material, and that I was attempting to stop it. It is no wonder that the government is trying to suppress this. Craig/Compare and Contrast the government's public position on Torture, with the information they werreceivingng at the time from their own Ambassador, and the legal advice they were seeking.We have archived a selection of government spin and lies on the use of torture in these 4 pages:
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/708
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/709
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/710
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/711
... and you can listen to Jack Straw and Tony Blair deny what you read in these hitherto 'secret' documents here.
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/down/strawhust.mp3
*We have published the documents in full here, and ask that anyone who can will do the same.
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/715
http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/714
If you could publish, host and link to these documents on your own webspace, then it will be harder for anybody to be prosecuted here in the UK, and ensure that they get maximum coverage.
Craig Murray stood up for what many of us believe, and it cost him his Job, his health, and his professional reputation. The least we can do his stand by him as he defies the UK government's attempts at censorship, and possible prosecution.
Craig's own post on the subject can be found here: http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2005/12/damning_documen.html
Thanks for your help.
STOP PRESS .
Craig's site has gone [been taken ?] down. However, here's a mirror from the archives showing the actual documentary evidence.
http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/archives/2005/12/damning_documen.html
posted by Richard at Thursday, December 29, 2005
27 Comments:
Update.
Already, Craig Murray's site is "down".
Richard,
I don't have "hosting" privileges at BOTB, but I've posted links to both yours and Craig Murray's sites here.
Richard,
I'm linking to you here, and I'll try to finish reading the rest of this tonight.
It's really sort of amazing that I'm still shocked about any of this stuff.
Doc
I was going to start posting and linking to this but it is up already on a slew of Blogs over at Big Brass Alliance and Best of Blogs and Truthout...so it is spreading, quickly....
Don't worry we bloggers will work ALL weekend on this...
Promise...
( is his site down- or was it just overloaded?)
(On another note I also took your Military vaccine issue/ALS to some mediafolk, and they were concerned- I will keep you posted about what next- I am still sending research...but thanks for your info on it..)
Michael, Dr Tom and Enigma,
I posted a big thank you here, a couple of hours ago. So far nothing's shown up. So here I am trying again.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I'm getting onto that site no problems Richard. It may simply be that the server was overwhelmed by traffic.
Huffington Post is running the story this a.m.,
I have it up on another US server here:
http://currentera.com/blog/?p=389
mark,
Yep, everythings okay again. It looks like too much traffic was the reason.
graniab,
Thanks for that. I'll go check. It seems it really has started to take off now.
Richard
It's been blogged at antiwar.com as well.
I've also read that the Daily Star has printed it. I think we can say the story is well and truly blown open.
Off topic: I'm probably not likely to be online or if am only briefly tomorrow and for a few days after. So I'll take the opportunity to wish you your family and your readers a far better 2006 than 2005 has been.
Great work Richard. You know what I think ? I think the Blair-fronted regime is so steeped in blood, that this psychosis-denial is the only way for them not to drown in it. It's so serious now, so many things, Iraq, dossiers, torturegate, the choking tyranny of the UK police state. The regime is so malignant, it actually needs putting out of it's misery. It's overstepped all the boundaries, wriggled through them, lied and glossed over a horrendous bloody reality to fuel it's sickening ideological objectives.
The political fermentation and rot that has inevitably resulted is about as far it gets really.
Tom @ Current Era,
Wonderful. You're one of the best.
Mark,
More good news by the hour; it's spreading like wildfire across the web. Meantime, all the best to you & yours too. Don't stay away too long.
jultra,
You regularly do great work yourself. See my comment at your blog. Take a look at my blogroll - as of earlier today, you're on it.
Thanks so much, Richard. It feels great to be involved in this. Let me know if I can ever be of help.
Tom
It is friday am Dec 30th, and the craig memo is up on numerous blogs , Huffington Post is probally the best read, raw story, daily kos are also doing and are WELL read, No Blood for Hubris,Agitprop, I will try to do a round up this afternoon and post back so we figure out HOW many blogs are covering.....( I will post the round up on my blog as well- some of the write ups have been much better than I could ever do...)
Is Craig's site still down or moved ? or overloaded or down for good....
Thanks again Tom, I will.
And thanks again, enigma. It's gaining ground all the time. Craig's site came back up, earlier today. Looks like his server was overwhelmed with all the hits/traffic he taking.
still not a word of all this from the bbc
the day they ousted greg dyke was the begining of the end
welcome to uk version of pravda
Off topic - here's wishing you all a Happy New Year and good health and happiness for 2006 - slainte!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE !!!
Jan.1, 2am Happy New Year Rick...Just wanted to update you...the torture memo's are getting spread across the blogosphere, also late last night some media- BBC and also aljeezera ( same time) and some asian online papers, and I think the Independent...Hopefully the Guardian will do next ?? Blogs are still on it and a wide number....I am posting this weekend, I spent lat week writing to media ( had to try-it's important...CNN, MSNBC and some papers...it needs to HIT both MSM amd blogs....there has to be cohesive coeverage....) and yes I saw Craig's site was back last nite...phew...thanks for your efforts...
Happy 2006, Richard! May sanity reassert itself and freedom ring!
Thanks graniab, enigma and dff same to all of you.
And well done, enigma.
Btw, I hear AP have picked up on this story now. Ha. How far behind we 'amateurs' can the big pro-boys be, eh? But better late than never, I suppose.
richard i m here with you
i alreaady posted your message to me blog and a number of greek gloggers are doing the same
best regards keep the fight going
newmanisfesto,
That's great. Thanks for helping expose the true nature of our supposedly honourable leaders, to the decent people of this world.
Today (1/3/06) it hit Mainstream , Tom Paine and over the weekend Los Angelos Times....we'll keep working it....It is also now on over 100 blogs with good coverage and links...as usual the MSM lags behind- so that is where I am still focusing my nagging and letters....( just like DSM and Katrina...)I will be back to blogging by the weekend....
(I have a nasty little post still up over on http://watergatesummer.blogspot.com/, called Blow On This...it will give you a bit of a laugh...)...Keep up your great work...
Enigma,
You do great work yourself. You keep it up, too. I'll drop by your blog a bit later on.
ZzMW6l The best blog you have!
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