Links
- Irish Aires Home Page
- IA Houston Links
- IA Links Page
- IA News Links
- Irish Aires Archived
- IA Email Lists
- Irish Aires Blog
- IAUC
Archives
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
- June 2006
- July 2006
- August 2006
- September 2006
- October 2006
- November 2006
- December 2006
- January 2007
- February 2007
- March 2007
- April 2007
- May 2007
- June 2007
- August 2007
- September 2007
- October 2007
- November 2007
- December 2007
- January 2008
- February 2008
- March 2008
- April 2008
- May 2008
- June 2008
- July 2008
- November 2008
- December 2008
- February 2009
- April 2009
- May 2009
- January 2010
- April 2011
- May 2011
- June 2011
- July 2011
- August 2011
- February 2012
News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
December 09, 2005
Political Policing in N. Ireland Exposed By Not Guilty Verdicts
Political Policing In N. Ireland Exposed By Not Guilty Verdicts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Deanna Turner
IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 1-800-947-4282
Fax: 1-248-671-0429
Email: iauc@iauc.org
Web: http://www.iauc.org/
POLITICAL POLICING IN N. IRELAND EXPOSED BY NOT GUILTY
VERDICTS.
Washington, DC, December 9, 2005 — The recent not guilty
verdict for three Sinn Fein members on charges of operating
a spy ring is a further indication of the use of policing
in Northern Ireland to accomplish political objects.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair must reinstate the
government and deliver the new start to policing promised
by the Good Friday Agreement or risk further efforts by the
Policing Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the
Northern Ireland Office (NIO) to subvert the peace process.
This high profile raid in 2002 and subsequent unfounded
accusations of espionage lead to the British suspension of
the government set up under the Good Friday Agreement.
After three years the government is still non-operational.
This week the case against the three was dropped by
prosecutors and the accused were found "not guilty" by the
court.
Dr. Robert Linnon, President of the Irish American Unity
Conference (IAUC), said: "The British Government has
serious questions to answer about the Stormont fiasco and
the heightened allegations of 'political policing' by
elements from the old Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Special Branch who remain active in the PSNI.
"The not guilty verdicts vindicate those who believed that
the raids were a stunt designed to topple the power sharing
institutions. Nowhere in the democratic world would a
popularly elected government be suspended based on a police
raids on parliament offices that netted nothing.
"However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
:: Three weeks ago, Sinn Féin member Francie Brolly was
arrested and held for two days before being released
without charge after being questioned about a bombing
outrage three decades ago.
:: Last week, the most famous Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA) ground in Ulster, Casement Park, was searched by a
large PSNI raiding party who found nothing.
:: On Wednesday, the charges against another Catholic civil
servant arising from the Northern Bank robbery
investigation were also withdrawn.
Dr Linnon concluded: "It is no wonder that Irish Americans
and nationalists in Ireland have no faith in the impartial
law enforcement of the PSNI. We, like other Human Rights
groups, demand that policing reforms recommended by the
British appointed Patton commission be immediately enacted
and that the governments, which was suspended in 2002 over
false accusations, be reinstated at once. We call on Dr.
Mitchell Reiss, US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, to
support our position.
# # #
Contact: Deanna Turner
IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 1-800-947-4282
Fax: 1-248-671-0429
Email: iauc@iauc.org
Web: http://www.iauc.org/
Press Officer: Jay Dooling
email: rdooling@swbell.net
"Working for Justice & Peace in a Re-united Ireland"
The IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE is a nationwide,
nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights
organization working for justice and peace in Ireland. We
are a wholly American 501c(4) organization that advocates
the end of British colonial occupation and the peaceful
reunification of Ireland.
We endeavor to achieve these goals by working through the
American democratic process. Individually, our members
represent every occupational and educational stratum in the
United States.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Deanna Turner
IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 1-800-947-4282
Fax: 1-248-671-0429
Email: iauc@iauc.org
Web: http://www.iauc.org/
POLITICAL POLICING IN N. IRELAND EXPOSED BY NOT GUILTY
VERDICTS.
Washington, DC, December 9, 2005 — The recent not guilty
verdict for three Sinn Fein members on charges of operating
a spy ring is a further indication of the use of policing
in Northern Ireland to accomplish political objects.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair must reinstate the
government and deliver the new start to policing promised
by the Good Friday Agreement or risk further efforts by the
Policing Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the
Northern Ireland Office (NIO) to subvert the peace process.
This high profile raid in 2002 and subsequent unfounded
accusations of espionage lead to the British suspension of
the government set up under the Good Friday Agreement.
After three years the government is still non-operational.
This week the case against the three was dropped by
prosecutors and the accused were found "not guilty" by the
court.
Dr. Robert Linnon, President of the Irish American Unity
Conference (IAUC), said: "The British Government has
serious questions to answer about the Stormont fiasco and
the heightened allegations of 'political policing' by
elements from the old Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
Special Branch who remain active in the PSNI.
"The not guilty verdicts vindicate those who believed that
the raids were a stunt designed to topple the power sharing
institutions. Nowhere in the democratic world would a
popularly elected government be suspended based on a police
raids on parliament offices that netted nothing.
"However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
:: Three weeks ago, Sinn Féin member Francie Brolly was
arrested and held for two days before being released
without charge after being questioned about a bombing
outrage three decades ago.
:: Last week, the most famous Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA) ground in Ulster, Casement Park, was searched by a
large PSNI raiding party who found nothing.
:: On Wednesday, the charges against another Catholic civil
servant arising from the Northern Bank robbery
investigation were also withdrawn.
Dr Linnon concluded: "It is no wonder that Irish Americans
and nationalists in Ireland have no faith in the impartial
law enforcement of the PSNI. We, like other Human Rights
groups, demand that policing reforms recommended by the
British appointed Patton commission be immediately enacted
and that the governments, which was suspended in 2002 over
false accusations, be reinstated at once. We call on Dr.
Mitchell Reiss, US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, to
support our position.
# # #
Contact: Deanna Turner
IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE #4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 1-800-947-4282
Fax: 1-248-671-0429
Email: iauc@iauc.org
Web: http://www.iauc.org/
Press Officer: Jay Dooling
email: rdooling@swbell.net
"Working for Justice & Peace in a Re-united Ireland"
The IRISH AMERICAN UNITY CONFERENCE is a nationwide,
nonpartisan, nonsectarian, chapter-based human rights
organization working for justice and peace in Ireland. We
are a wholly American 501c(4) organization that advocates
the end of British colonial occupation and the peaceful
reunification of Ireland.
We endeavor to achieve these goals by working through the
American democratic process. Individually, our members
represent every occupational and educational stratum in the
United States.
