SCOTLAND’S Justice Secretary has been asked to “urgently” intervene and secure the release of jailed former diplomat Craig Murray amid fears he may be at risk of contracting Covid-19.
The Craig Murray Justice Committee (CMJC) campaign group has claimed that four cases of the disease have been identified on his corridor at HMP Edinburgh.
However, a spokesperson for the Scottish Prison Service denied this. They said there has been one case identified at that prison, a new admission, and the seven close contacts of that case had been isolated as a precautionary measure.
Murray was not among those close contacts, they said.
READ MORE: Union may be urged to act over Craig Murray's prison sentence
The CMJC have urged Justice Secretary Keith Brown to take immediate action to release Murray on compassionate grounds, saying Covid presents “a direct threat to his life and wellbeing”.
They say Murray has preexisting chronic heart and lung conditions, as well as other health issues, which puts him at real risk from the disease.
A letter sent to Brown (above) says: “In order to both safeguard his life, alleviate pressure on the Scottish Prison Service and uphold Human Rights laws within the Scottish judiciary, we ask that you take immediate action to release Craig Murray from prison on compassionate grounds as a matter of urgency.
“Given that Craig Murray's case will be brought to the European Court of Human Rights in due course and has already attracted a significant amount of global attention and concern about Scotland's judiciary we believe your intervention is of utmost importance at this stage.”
Murray began a jail sentence earlier this year after being found in contempt of court over his reporting on the Alex Salmond trial.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The decision of the independent court is not something the Scottish Government can comment on nor intervene in.
“Concerns can be raised via independent prison monitors who are available in every prison to provide a view of a prisoner’s treatment and conditions.
"The response to Covid-19 in the prison estate continues to be robustly monitored in conjunction with local health protection teams and the provision of prisoner healthcare remains in place across all establishments."
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