On 7 June 2007, the European Court of Human Rights, after a four year wait, regrettably sided with the shameful Court of Appeal decision in 2001 to dismiss the appeal of Samar and Jawad against their conviction.

It is deplorable for the prosecution to have claimed in 1996 that there was an "intelligence vaccum" when there are crates of material evidence pointing to suspects unrelated to Samar or Jawad.

It is deplorable to claim the bombing was carried by a UK based small group when there is evidence outside groups and organisations were interested and actively seeking to bomb the embassy.

It is deplorable that this evidence was hidden from trial, then suppressed by ministers through gagging orders.

It is deplorable that the Court of Appeal saw crates of evidence that neither the defendants nor the jury saw. If it proved guilt, why was it not used against Samar and Jawad?

It is deplorable that the judges saw fit to withhold those crates, and chose to protect governments and their secret services. Instead of protecting fairness of trial, this European Court ruling sanctified the ability of government to withhold vital evidence. It focused on a narrow procedural point and ignored the essence of this injustice.

To date, the fingerprints of the bombers have never been identified or linked to the appellants. To date, key questions about the bombings remain unanswered.

Samar and Jawad are innocent. They deserve and need better justice than this. Whatever the reasons for which Samar and Jawad have been scapegoated, they are not the interests of justice.

Justice will be done, and truth will out. Alas, this justice has not come from the European Court of Human Rights.

'Someone will write his memoirs in 15 or 20 years time, and will reveal exactly who bombed the Israeli Embassy in London in 1994. And it won't be Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh who did it.'
Gareth Peirce, Samar and Jawad's lawyer, 17 February 2000