JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Anti-Defamation League called the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber a "travesty of justice."
Abdel Basset Ali Megrahi arrived in Tripoli to a hero’s welcome Thursday after serving only 8 years of a 27-year minimum life sentence. Megrahi, who is in the final stages of an advanced cancer, was released from a Scottish prison on "compassionate grounds," Scottish officials said.
He was released from prison under a Scottish law that allows early release for a prisoner with less than three months to live. Megrahi continues to claim he is innocent.
"To treat such a violent person with ‘sensitivity’ and to allow him to rejoin society is to extend to him a right that he had permanently denied his victims," said ADL National Director Abraham Foxman, in a statement. "For the families of those who perished, his release has reopened painful wounds and deprived them of a sense of closure."
Some 270 people died when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky in December 1988 by a bomb smuggled on board. Megrahi was convicted of the bombing in 2001.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
