From: "John Allman" <john_w_allman@hotmail.com>
To: info@liberty-human-rights.org.uk
Subject: George Farquhar would like help from Liberty
Date sent: Fri, 29 Aug 2003 16:22:26 +0000

Dear Liberty

I am informed that last Friday, 22 August 2003, the veteran investigator and internet publisher, George Farquhar, was acquitted at Edinburgh Sheriff's Court of the seventh charge of breach of the peace that he has been obliged to defend in the last two years or so, charges that have generally arisen directly or indirectly from his human rights activism.

George had many supporters present in court, some local Edinburgh people,others from further afield. I am told that there was unrestbeforethe attempt to hear the case in camera was abandoned. I canput Liberty in touch with some of George's supporters. In addition, I know that, since Friday, George has received messages of encouragement from as far afield as the USA and Australia.

George's lawyer was forbidden to defend him on Friday. Instead, the court imposed upon George a lawyer of its own choosing, in whom George did not have confidence, apparently advisedly so in view of the outcome of the trial.

George does not now have a lawyer at all. His present circumstances (which I'm coming to) would seem to require that he gets one soon.

George is well known in Edinburgh and all over the world for investigative work and for publishing material, some of whichmakes allegations against freemasons, material which has never been challenged by way of a libel action. Although I have no confirmation of this personally, it has been alleged that the sheriff who tried George was himself a freemason. George suspects that the lawyer whom the court imposed upon him may also have been a freemason. The lawyer whom George did not appoint neglected to ask the sheriff to disqualify himself from hearing the case. The sheriff did not disqualify himselfof his own accord either.

Despite being acquitted of the single charge of breach of the peace (arising on this occasion from his attempt to take a photograph of a certain off-duty policemen), George was ordered to be detained under apolitical section of the Mental Health Act, section 62. Only a government minister can order his release now. Without the decision of a politician, George, a 48 year old father of two, will never be set free. He is therefore clearly, quite literally,a political detainee. Since he is now also being druggedforcibly, George probably is also entitled to describe himself as a victim of torture.

I need from you the name and contact details of the specific individual within Liberty who will be dealing with this matter, beginning with takingstatements from George's numerous supporters, especially the manywho witnessed his show trial, and from George himself, who can easily be telephoned in his hospital ward.

Once I know the individual who is dealing with George's case for Liberty, I can pass this information on to those who are closer than I am to George. Some of these people will be able to provide much more precise information than I can. Many will have been present at the show trial. Hopefully at least one of them willbe able tosubstantiate the allegation in this email that I cannot myself substantiate, that the sheriff is a freemason.

George's closer supporters will then probably contact the individual staff member whom Liberty tells me it has appointed to look into this matter.

By the way, I have heard rumours that visitors to George in hospital are now being required to give their National Insurance Numbers to hospital staff, as a condition of being allowed in. I have not sought to verify this, but you can certinly do so, as your investigations get underway.

When I telephoned asking a member of staff on the ward for the full hospital address earlier today, the information was not given, and I was questioned as to my identity and why I wanted this information.

I am taking the initiative of sending you this email, rather than leaving it to George's more immediate supporters,partly because foruitously I happen have been invited this week to be a guest on an hour- longradio programme in the USA.The programme will be about a single issue on which I am part of campaigning group. The datehas not yet been fixed.

As it happens,George has investigated and published on the same issue in the past, so one of the questions my interviewer asksmay well give mean opportunity to raise George's case on air. For that reason, it would be helpful if I could be kept informed regarding what action Liberty is taking in respect of George'scase, so that I can slip in that information in my replies if it seems appropriate, which will be good publicity for Liberty, assuming that Liberty is taking some action by then.

I look forward to hearing from you, with news as to which Liberty staff member is taking up George's case, which I think deserves a very high profile.

John Allman