Dissident British Ex-Diplomat Craig Murray Indicted For Blog Posts in Kafkaesque Case

Craig Murray, a former UK diplomat turned anti-war activist, has been charged with contempt of court for writing blog posts. He faces a possible two years in jail, with no jury and no freedom of speech defense permitted.
By Ben Norton
The Grayzone
Apr. 29, 2020

The renowned British peace activist and former diplomat Craig Murray has been charged with contempt of court for writing blog posts.

The suspicious indictment represents a heavily politicized, Kafkaesque case in which Murray has virtually none of his rights guaranteed. It also appears to be a part of the British government's aggressive crackdown on the Scottish independence movement.

In comments to The Grayzone, Murray described the case against him as a thoroughly undemocratic attack on free speech, and warned it may be punishment for his dissident journalism and activism exposing the UK's crimes and lies.

Murray said he faces the possibility of "no jury, no 'beyond reasonable doubt' test, no public interest defence allowed, no freedom of speech defence allowed, and up to two years in jail and an 'unlimited' fine."

Craig Murray served as Britain's ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004. The UK Foreign Office fired him for his exposure of British and US involvement in egregious human rights violations in the country. Murray had blown the whistle on torture, warning that the CIA was using highly dubious intelligence obtained from tortured detainees.

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