I.P.O. Information Service

Lockerbie case – Follow-up and reactions to Professor Koechler’s reports

Durban/London, 12 July 2002/P/RE/17829c-is

At the Summit Conference of the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), held in Durban, South Africa, on 8 July 2002, the OAU Commission of Jurists on the Lockerbie Case presented its final report. The report basically endorses Professor Koechler’s conclusions about the lack of fairness of the proceedings and quotes extensively from his comprehensive analysis of the Lockerbie Appeal dated 26 March 2002, particularly in regard to political interference, the lack of adequate defense and the questionable performance of the judges. In a message sent to Prof. Koechler, the Chairman of the OAU Commission of Jurists, Justice Ben Hlatshwayo, expressed his appreciation for his report.

At yesterday’s plenary debate on the role of intelligence services in the House of Commons in London,  the "Father of the House" Mr. Tam Dalyell, referring to Professor Koechler’s work as international observer of the Lockerbie trial, asked: “What was the relationship between British intelligence and two officials … from an office that forms part of the US Department of Justice, who sat beside the prosecution in a supposedly independent Scottish court throughout the Lockerbie trial?” Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced that he will answer this and other questions in written form. Mr. Dalyell again asked for a public inquiry into the international aspects of the crime.

Since March of last year, the press office of the I.P.O. has documented over 200 media articles and debates of Professor Koechler's Lockerbie reports on all continents. His analyses of the international legal aspects of the Lockerbie trial have had a major impact on the ongoing debate on the fundamental issues of international criminal justice, particularly in regard to the newly established International Criminal Court.

The International Progress Organization has compiled a comprehensive documentation related to Professor Hans Koechler’s Lockerbie observer mission:

The Lockerbie Trial. Documents Related to the I.P.O. Observer Mission.
Studies in International Relations, vol. XXVII, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-900704-21-X, 165 pages.

The publication is available through the I.P.O. Head Office in Vienna: telefax +431-5332962, e-mail: ipo@i-p-o.org.


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