Craig Murray

Wikipedia coverage: Read the full Wikipedia article, including its references. The material below is the existing Deep Politics Wiki article.

Craig Murray  link Amazon Twitter Website (Whistleblower, diplomat, author, dissident, politician)
File:Craig Murray 2019.jpg
Born	Craig John Murray 17 October 1958 Norfolk, UK
Nationality	English
Alma mater	University of Dundee
Children	3
Exposed	UK complicity in torture
Party	SNP, ALBA, WPGB
A UK ambassador to Uzbekistan who stood up and did the right thing when confronted with evidence of torture. Smeared and dismissed by the UK deep state, he continues his activism exposing Establishment lies and hypocrisy.

Craig Murray is a UK senior diplomat turned whistleblower, author, blogger and human rights activist.

In 2004, he resigned as Britain's Ambassador to Uzbekistan after revealing that the UK government knowingly used intelligence obtained by torture. For the next decade he lived {{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“as a dissident where I have devoted my life to exposing, and trying to counter, the evil of the neo-conservative policy pursued by our political class at the behest of the corporations who fund them. I have suffered a huge loss in money, status and most of the other normal aspirations. But what I have gained is invaluable. I have respect and love, while Blair and Straw will forever be despised.” |Is about=Craig Murray,|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=October 2014 |Sourced from= |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName= |Has sourceURL=http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/10/decade-of-dissent/

}}

“as a dissident where I have devoted my life to exposing, and trying to counter, the evil of the neo-conservative policy pursued by our political class at the behest of the corporations who fund them. I have suffered a huge loss in money, status and most of the other normal aspirations. But what I have gained is invaluable. I have respect and love, while Blair and Straw will forever be despised.”
Craig Murray (October 2014) 

On 18 March 2024, the Workers Party of Britain announced that Craig Murray would be its candidate in Blackburn at the next General Election. In the event, however, Independent candidate Adnan Hussain won the Blackburn seat.

Background

Murray was born on 17 October 1958 in West Runton, near Cromer, Norfolk. He attended at Sheringham Primary and Paston Grammar schools. He graduated from the University of Dundee in 1982 with an MA (Hons) 1st Class in Modern History. From 1982 to 1984 he was President of Dundee University Students Association and was Rector of Dundee University (2007-2010).

Diplomatic career

Craig Murray joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1984 and was assigned to Southern African Department (SAfD) to uphold the sporting boycott and the UN's mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. Craig Murray thus replaced Patrick Haseldine in September 1984 when the latter was seconded to the Office of Fair Trading following the Coventry Four affair and adverse staff appraisal reports from the South Africa desk officer David Carter and SAfD's assistant head Nigel Thorpe.

First two years

Craig Murray wrote that "My first FCO job was in the South Africa Section as the South Africa (political) officer, at a time when Apartheid was in full sway in South Africa. It was the official policy of Her Majesty’s Government to oppose international sanctions efforts, and the Thatcher government’s official line was that Mandela was a terrorist properly in jail after a fair trial. There was a huge tension between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and 10 Downing Street..."

Postings

Craig Murray's postings as a member of HM Diplomatic Service included:

• 1986-9: Second Secretary (Commercial), British High Commission, Lagos. Responsible for promoting British exports to, and business interests in, Nigeria.
• 1989-92 Head of Maritime Section, Aviation and Maritime Department (AMD), FCO, London. Responsible for negotiation of the UK and Dependent Territory continental shelf and fisheries boundaries, for implementation of the Channel Tunnel treaty and for negotiations on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• From August 1990 to August 1991 he was also head of AMD's Embargo Surveillance Centre, responsible for intelligence analysis on Iraqi attempts at evading sanctions, particularly in the field of weapons procurement, and with providing information to UK military forces and to other governments to effect physical enforcement of the embargo.
• 1992-4 Cyprus desk officer in Southern European Department (SED), FCO, London. Responsible for UN negotiations on the Cyprus dispute, relations with the government of Cyprus and for the mandate and requirements of the British contingent of the UN force in Cyprus.
• 1994-7 First Secretary (Political and Economic), British Embassy, Warsaw. Head of the Political and Economic sections of our Embassy in Poland. Responsible for relations with Poland, and assisting Poland’s post-communist transition process with reference to preparation for EU membership.
• 1997-8 Deputy Head, Africa Department (Equatorial), FCO, London. Responsible for British political and commercial relationships with West Africa, including development issues.
• 1998-2002 Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, West Africa Branch. Responsible for British economic, political, commercial and aid relationships with Ghana and Togo. In Autumn 1998, Craig Murray was the UK Representative at the Sierra Leone Peace talks held in Togo, Liberia and Sierra Leone, including direct negotiation with the RUF terrorist leadership.
• 2002-2004 British Ambassador, Uzbekistan. Responsible for the UK relationship with Uzbekistan, where he found Western support for the dictatorial Karimov regime unconscionable, as detailed on his website

Questioning Use of Torture

Watch on YouTube

Craig Murray's allegations of UK/US connection to torture

Murray was summoned back to London in August 2003 and presented with 18, mostly baseless, allegations about his behaviour and given a week to resign, he said. He suffered a breakdown and the charges were dropped, but he said he planned to take legal action against the Foreign Office as his health had been permanently affected.Template:Cn

Suspension

In October 2004, Murray was recalled from his post in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent amid conflicting statements about whether he was to face disciplinary action. He told the BBC that the reason for his removal was his criticism of the use of intelligence allegedly obtained under torture by the Uzbekistan Government. The Foreign Office refused to be comment on these claims, but in a statement said he had been withdrawn, not on disciplinary, but on "operational grounds". It added that the charge it was suppressing open discussion was completely without foundation.

Murray's removal has prompted an open letter to the British government from Uzbek political activists who describe him as a "force for democratic change". But Mr Murray said FCO officials had been trying to force him out for a year because of his despatches back to London. In one he claimed MI6 had used information passed on to it by the CIA but originally obtained in Uzbek torture cells - something strongly denied by the Foreign Office. In the leaked telegram, printed in the Financial Times, he wrote that the use of information gained by torture was "morally, practically and legally wrong".

"I have been a victim of conscience," Mr Murray told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "I expressed my view strongly, but only internally. It wasn't me that leaked my views to the Financial Times but plainly that has led to my removal from my post." He added: "This sends a very strong signal that since the start of the war on "terrorism", anyone who even internally questions what's happening from a liberal standpoint is going to seriously damage their employment prospects."

Amnesty International UK described Mr Murray's championing of human rights as "extremely important" and said it would be alarmed if it had led to his removal. "The government should now make it clear that it wishes to have a strong British voice for human rights in Tashkent," a spokesman added.

Tory international affairs spokesman Gary Streeter told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme it was "perfectly legitimate" for Mr Murray to criticise "the way things are working within his sphere of influence".

On 14 March 2014, Craig Murray described "The Torture Cover-Up" as follows:

"The entire programme was on a scale and of an order of brutality much greater than anything that has been yet understood by the public. All of those foreign nationals rendered to Uzbekistan, for example, were killed during or following torture and buried in the desert."

Parliamentary candidate

At the 2005 UK General Election, Craig Murray took on Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in Blackburn as an independent candidate. Murray said: "I've been approached by several people in the Asian community who are under huge pressure from Labour activists (talking up the BNP's chances) to apply for a postal vote rather than a ballot vote and then hand their postal vote over to the Labour Party." Over 50% more people used postal votes in the 2005 General Election in Blackburn than in 2001. With 2,082 votes, Murray was beaten into fifth place and Straw was re-elected.

On 10 December 2014, The Scotsman newspaper reported that Craig Murray had been nominated by SNP members in the party’s branch in Airdrie and Shotts, whose seat is held by Labour’s Pamela Nash, to fight for the nationalists at the 2015 General Election. The report continued:

"Mr Murray, who campaigned for a Yes vote in the independence referendum, also controversially described No supporters as 'either evil, or quite extraordinarily thick.' Mr Murray said: 'I’m in the vetting process at the moment, but it’s correct to say I’ve been nominated in Airdrie and Shotts.'

"The SNP is expected to begin a formal selection process in the coming weeks, when other members will have the chance to seek selection as an SNP candidate in the seat, which Ms Nash took for Labour with a majority of 12,408 in 2010. Mr Murray is likely to face a challenge from SNP activist Tom Montgomery for the Airdrie and Shotts nomination.

"An SNP spokeswoman said: 'There are a number of nominations for the Airdrie and Shotts seat, and once nominations close, members in the area will be balloted to decide on their choice of candidate.'

"Labour has called on SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon to prevent Mr Murray being selected as a candidate because of his remarks about No voters.

"However, he said he had also been approached about standing in other constituencies such as Falkirk – a key nationalist target where sitting MP Eric Joyce is standing down after being forced out of Labour following a conviction for assaulting Tory politicians in the Commons.

Candidate's 350-word statement

Craig Murray explained: every candidate for selection is allowed a 350-word statement including a CV to be given to members with their ballot paper. This is the 350-word statement which I had submitted to HQ for distribution to SNP members in Falkirk, prior to my disqualification. It has never been distributed, but I would like every SNP member to read it. If you know one, send it to them:

My aim is to achieve Independence. The Smith Commission shows we will never be given the control of our own economic resources required to achieve our aims of social justice, or to stimulate the economy, within the Union.

I think we have to avoid the trap of managerialism – of being just another political party but a little more competent and fair. We should maintain a firm thrust towards the goal of national freedom.

I will vote with the SNP group, but my voice within the party will be against any coalition agreement with Labour or Tories.

I want to defeat Labour, not sustain them. I want to end the Union, not to run it.

Within the SNP we must guard against success leading us to develop our own careerists. Professional politicians in Westminster have become a parasitic class with interchangeable beliefs, out for themselves. There are too many of them – Special Advisers, research assistants etc. The number of politicians paid for by the taxpayer has quadrupled in 30 years.

The best MPs contribute from a wide variety of life experience.

I want the dynamic citizen activism we saw in the Yes campaign to lead to a new kind of politics in Scotland. Bubbling up from ordinary folk. And I want that energy from the people to defeat the forces of the mainstream media and the unionists here in the coming election.

Together, we can do it.

If selected as our candidate I will immediately move my family home to Falkirk and begin campaigning. Once elected MP, my home will become my constituency office and open to all, and no MP will work harder for his constituents. No Scottish MP will have lower expenses. I shall regularly attend the Commons and speak in debate.

Craig Murray

Writer, Human Rights Activist.

Chairman, Atholl Energy Ltd

Rector, Dundee University 2007-10

Honorary Research Fellow, University of Lancaster School of Law 2006-10

British Ambassador Uzbekistan 2002-4

HM Diplomatic Service 1984-2005

MA 1st Class Hons Modern History

Declined LVO, OBE and CVO as a Scottish nationalist and republican

Maybe that statement is what really got me disqualified?

Barred by the SNP

On 27 December 2014, Craig Murray announced on Facebook:

"Terribly upset and depressed after being barred from the approved candidates register by the SNP hierarchy for 'lack of commitment to group discipline.'

"I was asked at assessment whether, as part of a Westminster deal with another party, I would agree to vote for the bedroom tax if instructed by the Party. I replied 'No': end of SNP political career. Problem is, I really believed we were building a different kind of politics in Scotland.

"I had very, very strong support from ordinary members to be the candidate in Falkirk or in Airdrie, and had 17 requests to stand from other constituencies, several from branch meetings. Wonder what SNP new membership will think of this?

"My analysis is that those in the SNP who make a fat living out of it are terrified the energy of the Yes campaign may come to threaten their comfy position.

"I think there is an important debate here on how the 80% of the SNP who are new members can affect its existing gatekeeping structures. No new members were involved in deciding if I was a fit candidate, and the 1500 new members in each of Falkirk and Airdrie were denied any chance to vote for me. Please share this post."

John Goss commented:

"Amazing. Electoral colleges are the bane of political parties today. It is the reason there is no difference between Labour and Tories. I never trusted the SNP. Alex Salmond has, like so many other Scots of power, said there will be no proper Lockerbie Inquiry. Speaks for itself."

Kerrsed by Morag

On Craig Murray's blog Patrick Haseldine commented:

Having been disbarred as an SNP candidate, Craig Murray was prescient to have tweeted on 12 December 2014

“For Morag, Wherever I May Find Her”.

In no particular order, the multi-talented Morag “Rolfe” Kerr is a:

Peeblesshire vet;

MI5 operative;

former Membership Secretary of the SNP (London Branch);

Admin on Wikipedia;

9/11 debunker on the James Randi Educational Forum;

Secretary Depute of the ‘Justice for Megrahi’ campaign group;

author of “Adequately Explained By Stupidity? Lockerbie, Luggage and Lies”;

unsuccessful SNP candidate at Tweeddale West;

opinionated commentator on 'Wings Over Scotland'; and,

self-appointed vetter of SNP candidates.

Hoping that Hugh Kerr is not similarly Kerrsed!

2017 Libel lawsuit

In November 2017, Craig Murray reported that the High Court case in which he had been sued for libel was settled in an agreed joint statement:

"On 29 April 2016, Jake Wallis Simons and Craig Murray appeared together on Sky News to debate anti-Semitism in the United Kingdom. Following that debate, Dr Wallis Simons issued libel proceedings against Mr Murray. Dr Wallis Simons and Mr Murray have now settled these proceedings.

"By this statement, Mr Murray accepts that Dr Wallis Simons is not a liar, and Dr Wallis Simons accepts that Mr Murray is not an anti-Semite. They are both pleased to have resolved this dispute amicably."

2020 Contempt charges

{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=|+sep=, |Has text=“The Scottish legal system is in fact deeply corrupt, and has been for decades. The corruption centres on the prosecution service.” |Is about=Craig Murray,Scotland, law, Scotland/Advocate-General, Lord Advocate, Solicitor General for Scotland|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=21 March 2025 |Sourced from= |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName= |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2025/03/ai-vs-corrupt-judges/

}}

“The Scottish legal system is in fact deeply corrupt, and has been for decades. The corruption centres on the prosecution service.”
 (21 March 2025) 

A brief procedural hearing on 7 July 2020, conducted online due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the court system, and presided over by Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian alongside Lord Glennie and Lord Turnbull, concluded that Craig Murray will face contempt of court charges on 22 and 23 October 2020. Murray had written before the hearing:

I tried to do a public service in making available to everybody key facts from the Julian Assange extradition hearing and the Alex Salmond trial, which revealed a picture very different from that portrayed in the mainstream media. I find myself wishing now I had somebody to perform the same service for me. I am particularly constrained about what I can say in my own case.

The Solitary Reaper duly obliged on Twitter with a thread of sixteen tweets:

Thread

Notes of Procedural Hearing of @CraigMurrayOrg's case:

HM Advocate said he thinks what some of the witnesses (for the Defendant Mr. Murray) may say are not relevant to the case.

Judge said she was "surprised" to see the length of list of witnesses for the defendant.

On 25 August 2020, Craig Murray wrote about "The Great Cover-Up":

The greatest cover-up in modern Scottish history is underway. I am not permitted to say more at present. I will however venture to say that this is massively bigger than just the attempt to imprison me, that most of these documents are also being withheld from the Holyrood Inquiry.

In stating they are banning Alex Salmond’s solicitors also from releasing any of the documents, the Crown is admitting their existence.

I have made a redaction to avoid any further accusation of jigsaw identification.

I am EXTREMELY keen for you to follow tomorrow’s procedural hearing where the question of what evidence is permitted will be addressed. That’s tomorrow, 9.45am British Summer Time. The dial in instructions are here.

Dial (+44)-207 660 8149 Access code 137 161 9904

I really do not know why it is a telephone system and not internet, obviously it is the court and not me. Please do listen in. I realise nothing much happened at the last two procedural hearings, but this should be very different. I am very anxious indeed that the powers that be should not get the impression that public interest is waning.

After another procedural hearing on 26 August 2020, Alison McIntyre tweeted:

"Does anyone know what happened to Craig Murray in court?"

On 27 August 2020, Craig Murray responded:

"Not even me. I listened to it.

"It goes on and on and on, with endless procedural hearings, the Crown objecting to absolutely everything then making tiny last minute changes needing further hearing, and gobbling up massive legal fees.

"Wear us down strategy?"

Guilty as charged

On 25 March 2021, during a virtual hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh, Judges Lady Dorrian, Lord Menzies and Lord Pentland found Craig Murray in contempt of court for writing blogs that risked prejudicing Alex Salmond's trial and breaching the court-protected anonymity of complainants in the trial. A sentencing date was set for May 2021.

On 11 May 2021, five days after the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the High Court in Edinburgh ruled that Murray's coverage of the former First Minister’s trial led to “jigsaw identification” of complainers who made allegations against him, and sentenced Murray to eight months in prison for contempt of court. At the virtual sentencing, Lord Justice Clerk Lady Dorrian explained that Murray deliberately risked jigsaw identification and that revealing complainers’ identities was “abhorrent”. She said it was “particularly so, given the enormous publicity which the case in question attracted and continues to attract” and said his actions "strike at the heart of the fair administration of justice" and created a risk that future complainers would be reluctant to come forward in high-profile cases.

Craig Murray was initially given 48 hours to hand himself in to a police station in Edinburgh, but after a challenge by his lawyer Roddy Dunlop QC, this was extended to three weeks so Murray can appeal the sentence to the UK Supreme Court. Murray was also ordered to surrender his passport by 19 May 2021, after Dunlop told the court he was due to appear as a witness in a hacking trial in Spain involving Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder.

"Sad day for Scottish justice"

Writer, journalist and documentary filmmaker John Pilger said: “In these dark times, Craig Murray’s truth-telling is a beacon.

“He is owed our debt of gratitude, not the travesty of a prison sentence which, like the prosecution of Julian Assange, is a universal warning.”

Professor Noam Chomsky said: “Craig Murray has compiled a remarkable record of courage and integrity in exposing crimes of state and working to bring them to an end.

“He fully merits our deep respect and support for his achievements.”

ALBA MP Kenny MacAskill, Scotland’s former Justice Secretary, who is also a lawyer said: “This is a sad day for Scottish Justice. The idea that all problems emanate from Westminster is absurd.

“There are deep rooted structures and historic inequalities that scar Scotland. They require change and that cannot await independence, especially when those legal structures are already devolved.”

Gordon Dangerfield, a Solicitor Advocate who does not represent Murray, added: “The way in which Craig Murray has been singled out by the prosecuting authorities in this case is a national scandal which should concern anyone who cares about the rule of law in Scotland.

“The whole concept of ‘jigsaw identification’ also needs to be rethought and I fully support Craig’s appeal.”

Appeal to UK Supreme Court

On 8 June 2021, Craig Murray tweeted:

"Judgement is here.

"Leave to appeal to the Supreme Court is refused by Lady Dorrian.

"Imprisonment is suspended until 6 July 2021 while we apply direct to the UK/Supreme Court to hear the appeal."

On 29 July 2021, the UKSC refused Craig Murray permission to appeal which means he has to serve 8 months in jail.

On 30 July 2021, Craig Murray posted on his blog:

This blog will be going dark for a few months. The Queen kindly paid for my dinners for over twenty years while I was a British diplomat and Ambassador, and now she is going to be paying for my dinners again. That is very kind, I thought she had forgotten me.

Summarised in a tweet

On 30 July 2021, @mhaoilein tweeted replying to @BerntCarlsson @UKSupremeCourt and @CraigMurrayOrg:

D presides over S case

D expels M for reporting S defence evidence

D wants less juries

D allows perjury collusion against S

Jury acquits S

D presides over M contempt case for reporting D’s failures in S case

D convicts M without jury

D refuses appeal against D

UKSC backs D

Release from jail

On 30 November 2021, Craig Murray was released from Saughton Jail in Edinburgh:

Craig Murray has been released from jail. It’s completely unfair that his imprisonment was based on a precedent set by the judge at his trial who decided that independent journalists and bloggers should be held to a higher standard than the mainstream media.

On 4 December 2021, Craig Murray tweeted:

While in jail I submitted a new application for National Union of Journalists membership, with accompanying letter to say veteran members Laurie Flynn and Hugh Kerr would handle any process while I was in jail. Application rejected "on legal advice" over unclear power of attorney.

Replying to a Twitter follower who suggested he should resubmit the NUJ application in person, Craig Murray tweeted:

I certainly will.

ECtHR application inadmissible

On 19 July 2022, a lengthy and detailed application number 36703/22 was lodged by Craig Murray's lawyers with the European Court of Human Rights.

On 3 November 2022, the the case was peremptorily dismissed by Armen Harutyunyan, the Armenian judge at the ECtHR, sitting alone, essentially in a single sentence:

The Court declares the application inadmissible.

'Terrorism' in 2023

On 4 November 2023, Craig Murray posted on X:

"1984 I joined the UK Diplomatic Service; my first job was the South Africa desk.

"Our policy was that the ANC was a terrorist organisation and Nelson Mandela a terrorist properly in jail.

"So now the UK state is investigating me for 'terrorism', I consider that a badge of honour."

Opinions

{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“The naive view of the world as “goodies” and “baddies”, with our own ruling class as the good guys, is for the birds. I witnessed personally in Uzbekistan the willingness of the UK and US security services to accept and validate intelligence they knew to be false in order to pursue their policy objectives.” |Is about=Craig Murray,enemy images, authorities, ruling class, MI5, MI6, CIA|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=13 March 2018 |Sourced from=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/russian-to-judgement/

}}

“The naive view of the world as “goodies” and “baddies”, with our own ruling class as the good guys, is for the birds. I witnessed personally in Uzbekistan the willingness of the UK and US security services to accept and validate intelligence they knew to be false in order to pursue their policy objectives.”
Craig Murray (13 March 2018) 

{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“For me, the death of millions of people in the Middle East, and Alastair Campbell’s role in the deliberate manufacture of a dossier of lies to cause an aggressive war that led to those deaths, were life-changing events. It led me to pursue the end of the imperialist British state.” |Is about=Craig Murray,Alastair Campbell, Dodgy dossier, UK/Empire|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=23 March 2019 |Sourced from=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/03/please-cancel-your-subscriptions/

}}

“For me, the death of millions of people in the Middle East, and Alastair Campbell’s role in the deliberate manufacture of a dossier of lies to cause an aggressive war that led to those deaths, were life-changing events. It led me to pursue the end of the imperialist British state.”
Craig Murray (23 March 2019) 

{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=|+sep=, |Has text=“It is to me quite incredible that the UK is still at the mercy of the whims and foibles of degenerates from not only the same class, but from within the same tiny social institutions which still confer a hereditary ability to govern a state of 60 million people now, in 2020. It makes a mockery of the UK’s claim to be a functional social polity and it makes a mockery of the very notion that “democracy” has any real existence in British society.” |Is about=Craig Murray,democracy, UK, UK/Deep state, 2020|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=14 February 2020 |Sourced from=Craig Murray's Blog |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle=Time Warp UK |Has sourceName=Craig Murray's Blog |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

}}

“It is to me quite incredible that the UK is still at the mercy of the whims and foibles of degenerates from not only the same class, but from within the same tiny social institutions which still confer a hereditary ability to govern a state of 60 million people now, in 2020. It makes a mockery of the UK’s claim to be a functional social polity and it makes a mockery of the very notion that “democracy” has any real existence in British society.”
 (14 February 2020)  Time Warp UK

Torture and Kidnapping

Following publication of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Report on the CIA’s Use of Torture in December 2014, Craig Murray said {{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=|+sep=, |Has text=“Can I just say how pleasant it is to be vindicated ten years after being sacked by Jack Straw for opposing the torture and extraordinary rendition programme – which Blair and Straw claimed I was inventing.” |Is about=Craig Murray,torture, extraordinary rendition, Jack Straw|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=December 2014 |Sourced from=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceDetails=Senate Report on Torture |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName=Craig Murray's blog |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/12/senate-report-on-torture }}“Can I just say how pleasant it is to be vindicated ten years after being sacked by Jack Straw for opposing the torture and extraordinary rendition programme – which Blair and Straw claimed I was inventing.” In an audio interview on 12 December 2014, Craig Murray recounted his experience to Scottish journalist and broadcaster Derek Bateman examining the legacy of Labour in a week when revelations about state-sanctioned torture by the CIA under Bush/Cheney further threaten the reputation of the Blair government.

False flag attacks

Craig Murray announced in 2010 that he would summarily remove any comments about 9/11 from his website, stating his own position that "I do not believe that the US government, or any of its agencies, were responsible for 9/11. It would just need too many people to be involved. Someone would have objected." Peter Presland wrote in 2010 that "Craig's problem is that, for some reason, he refuses to connect the dots"..

Murray's blind spot for false flag operations has not stopped his noticing that these event are exploited (but not organised) by Western governments. After the 2015 mass murder in Paris, he observed that "Cameron’s announcement of 15% budget and staff increases for the security services was made immediately after the Paris attacks, but was plainly not something thought up in a few hours. The plans for mass surveillance had already been announced, and would have to be staffed. This kind of sickening political opportunism is the true disrespect to the innocent dead."

Dr Rola

Full article: Dr Rola

{{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“This video of Robert Stuart is a must see. Let me pin my colours to the mast and say that I am absolutely convinced that the BBC did deliberately and knowingly fake evidence of chemical attacks.” |Is about=Craig Murray,Dr Rola, BBC/Propaganda, Robert Stuart|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=9 March 2016 |Sourced from= |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName= |Has sourceURL=https://bbcpanoramasavingsyriaschildren.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/1570611.pdf

}}

“This video of Robert Stuart is a must see. Let me pin my colours to the mast and say that I am absolutely convinced that the BBC did deliberately and knowingly fake evidence of chemical attacks.”
Craig Murray (9 March 2016) 

Lockerbie Bombing

Full article: Lockerbie: What Really Happened#Craig Murray

Craig Murray has publicly supported the Al Jazeera documentary, "Lockerbie: What Really Happened?" which concluded that the Lockerbie bombing was ordered by Iran and carried out by the PFLP-GC, with help from Hezbollah, and if Libya had a role, it was secondary. Murray blogged that "The information on Lockerbie published in today’s Daily Mail from an Iranian defector, matches precisely what I was shown in a secret intelligence report in the FCO just around the time of the first Iraq war. It was decided that this would be kept under wraps because the West needed Iran and Syria’s quiescence in the attack on Iraq."

Julian Assange

Watch on YouTube

Craig Murray's speech outside the RCJ

Having spoken in support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in August 2012 who, to avoid extradition to Sweden, had taken up residence in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, Craig Murray condemned the Foreign Secretary's "astonishing lie" about the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which had ruled in favour of Assange on 5 February 2016. Murray wrote:

"To my astonishment, the FCO Official Spokesman has just confirmed to me that the FCO stands by Philip Hammond’s statement that the members of the UNWGAD are lay persons, and not lawyers. Even though every single one of them is an extremely distinguished lawyer."

On 10 December 2021, at the Royal Courts of Justice, the US appeal against the January 2021 ruling not to extradite Julian Assange was decided in America's favour. Craig Murray wrote:

On leaving the High Court, Stella Moris and I both gave impromptu speeches to the waiting crowd and media. The BBC carried this live until I mentioned US war crimes, when they hurriedly cut it off. These below are the full speeches, and the video should start at the right point. We had come straight from consulting with Gareth after hearing the Judgment, so remember what I have told you and consider how extraordinarily well Stella coped and spoke here. How can we not continue to fight?

Skripal Affair and the Integrity Initiative

Murray was active in reporting about the Skripal Affair and the popularity of Craig Murray's Blog rose sharply during that time. {{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“We have a programme, the Integrity Initiative, whose entire purpose is to pump out covert disinformation against Russia, through social media and news stories secretly paid for by the British government. And we have the Skripals’ MI6 handler, the BBC, Porton Down, the FCO, the MOD and the US Embassy, working together in a group under the auspices of the Integrity Initiative. The Skripal Case happened to occur shortly after a massive increase in the Integrity Initiative’s budget and activity, which itself was a small part of a British Government decision to ramp up a major information war against Russia. I find that very interesting indeed.” |Is about=Craig Murray,Integrity Initiative, Skripal Affair, Pablo Miller, BBC, Porton Down|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=21 December 2018 |Sourced from=Craig Murray's Blog |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName=Craig Murray's Blog |Has sourceURL=https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/british-government-covert-anti-russian-propaganda-and-the-skripal-case/

}}

“We have a programme, the Integrity Initiative, whose entire purpose is to pump out covert disinformation against Russia, through social media and news stories secretly paid for by the British government. And we have the Skripals’ MI6 handler, the BBC, Porton Down, the FCO, the MOD and the US Embassy, working together in a group under the auspices of the Integrity Initiative. The Skripal Case happened to occur shortly after a massive increase in the Integrity Initiative’s budget and activity, which itself was a small part of a British Government decision to ramp up a major information war against Russia. I find that very interesting indeed.”
Craig Murray (21 December 2018) 

His tweets are specifically mentioned in the Integrity Initiative as having influenced people to be more sceptical of the official narrative.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

In January 2024, Craig Murray went to The Hague and reported on the ICJ case brought by South Africa against Israel for committing genocide in Gaza. On 15 January 2024, "Our Man in The Hague" was interviewed by George Galloway on YouTube.

On 20 August 2024, Craig Murray posted on X {{#subobject: |Has superobject=Craig Murray |Has objectClass=Quotation |Has author=Craig Murray|+sep=, |Has text=“The International Court of Justice has stated definitively that the Israeli occupation is illegal and it is the duty of states not to support it. Yet in UK law it is perfectly legal to state that you support the IDF and hope that they kill all the Palestinians in Gaza But it is illegal in the UK - and carries 14 years in jail - to express support for named Palestinian organisations engaged, legally in international law, in armed resistance to illegal occupation.” |Is about=Craig Murray,ICJ, Israel, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas War, Gaza|+sep=, |Has wikipediaPage= |Has location=|+sep=, |Has publicationDate=20 August 2024 |Sourced from= |Has sourceDetails= |Has sourceTitle= |Has sourceName= |Has sourceURL=https://x.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1825886875061469586

}}

“The International Court of Justice has stated definitively that the Israeli occupation is illegal and it is the duty of states not to support it. Yet in UK law it is perfectly legal to state that you support the IDF and hope that they kill all the Palestinians in Gaza But it is illegal in the UK - and carries 14 years in jail - to express support for named Palestinian organisations engaged, legally in international law, in armed resistance to illegal occupation.”
Craig Murray (20 August 2024) 

Author

Craig Murray is the author of two books:

Murder in Samarkand

Craig Murray was the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Uzbekistan until he was removed from his post in October 2004 after exposing appalling human rights abuses by the US-funded regime of President Islam Karimov. This is a candid and at times shocking memoir, in which he exposes what is being done in the name of the "War on Terror".

The Catholic Orangemen of Togo (and Other Conflicts I Have Known)

This is an autobiographical prequel to "Murder in Samarkand" that covers the period 1998 to 2002. It exposes the links between blood diamonds, crime & British mercenary involvement in Africa, and argues that the disregard Tony Blair showed for both British and international law in dealing with Sierra Leone prefigured the disaster of Iraq.

Censorship by Tim Spicer

File:Spicer2.jpg

Lt-Col Sir Tim Spicer questioned in Parliament: "I believed what we were doing was within the law"

In July 2008, law firm Schillings, representing Tim Spicer, wrote to Craig Murray's publishers, Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd., threatening legal action over his forthcoming book, at the time provisionally titled The Road to Samarkand. Chapters two "Arms to Africa" and four "The Sandline Affair" deal with the Sierra Leone "Arms to Africa" affair in depth. At the time of these events, Craig Murray was Deputy High Commissioner, British High Commission, West Africa Branch. In Autumn 1998 he was the UK Representative at the Sierra Leone Peace talks held in Togo, Liberia and Sierra Leone which included direct negotiation with the RUF terrorist leadership. He therefore had first-hand experience of these matters from a senior Foreign Office position.

Some negotiation between Murray and Mainstream followed, during which it was ascertained precisely which parts of the proposed book had to be removed for Mainstream to proceed with publication. Murray refused to be censored. He published the 'offending' parts on his blog (also available at this Wikispooks page) and decided to self-publish the book. It was first posted as a pdf on a number of web sites before being released in printed form as "The Catholic Orangemen of Togo" .

Shadow banning

In 2016 Craig Murray reported that he was shadow banned by Twitter and Facebook, resulting in a loss of 90% of the referrals to his website.

"Philip Cross" made hundreds of "hostile" edits to Craig Murray's Wikipedia page, before suddenly stopping on 8 May 2018.

References