London, England (CNN) -- The British government urged Libya on Friday not to celebrate the anniversary of the convicted Lockerbie bomber's release, saying it would be "offensive and deeply insensitive to the victims' families".
The statement from the British Foreign Office came exactly a year after Abdelbeset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison on humanitarian grounds, with doctors saying he had terminal cancer and only three months to live.
Al Megrahi was cheered when he arrived back home in Tripoli a year ago. The United States, Britain and relatives of the victims criticized the scenes of celebration at the time.
Meanwhile, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg planned a news conference later Friday with families of the victims.
That Al Megrahi is still alive a year after his release has outraged many on both sides of the Atlantic, and led U.S. senators to demand answers from Scotland about the details of his release.
Scottish authorities have defended their actions in the case, saying Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill relied on a medical report from the top doctor in the Scottish Prison Service, along with reports from the parole board and prison governor, in deciding to free al Megrahi, who had been serving a life sentence.
"We took the decision in good faith," Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond told Sky News on Friday. "We followed the judicial processes, the law of Scotland and the jurisdiction the Lockerbie atrocity has been governed (by), not for the last year, but for the last 20 years."
Under the Scotland Act of 1998, Scotland has its own government that is responsible for most of the day-to-day issues there, including the justice system. It took charge of the case because the flight al Megrahi was convicted of bombing exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie. CNN
