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02/22/2006:

"Straw faces a torturous spell in the witness box"

Twenty-five years after he hung up his barrister's wig, Jack Straw faces the unwelcome prospect of returning to court. Craig Murray, our former Ambassador to Uzbekistan, intends to call the Foreign Secretary to give evidence in any legal action over his forthcoming memoirs.

This month, Straw's staff wrote to Murray - who was sacked for blowing the whistle on human rights abuses - saying they'd "actively consider a claim for breach of confidence or Crown copyright" over his book, Murder in Samarkand.

Despite that threat, Murray's publishers, Mainstream, tell me they "intend to proceed" with the memoir, which will hit the shelves in July.

Meanwhile, Murray has used an interview with The Bookseller to launch a personal offensive against Straw, saying he has "proof that the Government has been obtaining intelligence from torture, and that Jack Straw approved it."
independent.co.uk