IRISH REPUBLICAN INFORMATION SERVICE (no. 
Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: +353-1-872 9757; e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie
Date: Márta / March 14, 2005
Internet resources maintained by SAOIRSE-Irish Freedom
http://saoirse.rr.nu
In this issue:
New control order legislation, under the PTA, passed in Britain
Provisional thuggery in Strabane
£30m for 1,800 unsolved murders — RFJ unimpressed
Britain refuses to hold public Finucane inquiry
Ombudsman investigates shooting by RUC in 2003
Deaths of British army recruits subject of investigation
£8bn to be spent on nuclear reactors in Britain
Man who refused to pay TV licence for 21 years is jailed
Free State Easter commemorations ‘exercise in political one-upmanship’
EU states could go to war, says NATO head
US should leave Iraq, says soldier
1. NEW CONTROL ORDER LEGISLATION, UNDER THE PTA, PASSED IN BRITAIN
NEW legislation, under the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, was eventually agreed on in the British parliament on March 11, 2005 after days of wrangling between the Commons and the House of Lords over the wording of the bill.
The new laws, which come into effect on Monday March 14, allows for controlled house arrest – indefinite detention without trial, electronic tagging, and the removal of several basic human rights such as freedom of movement, speech and association from individuals. The removal of these rights will be based on secret intelligence hearings from which the ‘suspect’ is excluded – the ‘suspect’ is not allowed to see the evidence against him/her.
Control orders prevent the individual from making mobile phone calls, and prevents them from making arrangements to meet friends outside their accommodation without prior permission from the Home Office. They are not allowed to make any arrangements. Friends and relatives who wish to visit them also have to have clearance from the Home Office. Home Office officials can enter and search the ‘suspect’s’ accommodation at any time.
Control orders are to be signed by a judge only except in case of an ‘urgency’ when they can be signed by the Home Secretary. In fact, it was it was the Home Secretary who signed the first 10 orders under the ‘urgency’ clause. Of course the standard of proof to implement a control order is based on “reasonable grounds” that a suspect may be planning a terrorist attack and not on ‘the balance of probability’ that they were.
Tony Blair is truly Maggie in trousers. He must be the most Tory Labour man in history. Anyone who opposes him on this will be accused of being ‘soft on terrorism’.
Now that the news legislation is law in Britain it is also possible they will apply in the Occupied Six Counties. Paul Murphy, Secretary of State in the Six Counties, actively supported the Bill so it is likely he will ‘import’ them into the Occupied Six Counties.
Meanwhile the ‘controlled’ release arrangements of eight ‘terror suspects’, who have been in Belmarsh prison for three years without trial, has been described as “chaotic” by a senior police officer. No proper arrangement have been put in place for the men, one of whom, released on Saturday last, was not supplied with either money or food and two were homeless.
In another case police officers transferring one of the released men had to break into the ‘secure’ flat because they did not have proper keys. A 24-hour hotline that was supposed to have been installed was not working either. The man ended up in a psychiatric unit of a London Hospital because it was deemed ‘unsafe’ to leave him on his own in the flat (another also ended up there). Yet another released suspect is in Colnbrook detention centre near Heathrow Airport.
All eight men ‘have been fitted, by the private company Premier, with special electronic tags, resembling oversized wrist watches, which restrict their movements to a specific geographic area around their accommodation between 7pm and 7am’. The men had no prior notice of their release and were just told to ‘pack up’.
Gareth Peirce, a well known human rights lawyer who is acting for most of the men, said on Saturday that the whole process, “had been a sham from start to finish. They appear to be making it up as they go along. It is a state of complete and utter confusion and it is terrifying for the individuals concerned”.
2. PROVISIONAL THUGGERY IN STRABANE
ON March 4 last an Irish night was held in Sigerson’s GAA Club in Strabane, Co. Tyrone. During the function several people were ejected by the Provisionals, despite the fact that none of them was causing any trouble.
A number of people (who had nothing to do with organising the function) came around the tables with lottery tickets – the proceeds of which were said to be going to Provisional prisoners. When those sitting at one table (including a former H-Block hunger striker) said they were not interested, they were told that this would be their “last time in the Club”.
Meanwhile another person, seeing that tickets were being sold, went around with sponsorship cards for a head shave on St. Patrick’s Night in aid of CABHAIR (Irish Republican Prisoners Dependants Fund). He was approached by a man and told to “put [these] in [his] pocket or get out”.
When asked under what authority this was being said, he was told that it was on behalf of the management of the Club, and so he complied. However he was still forced to leave, and the person issuing the threat added that he represented the Provisionals’ military body in Strabane. Others in the Provo’s company also became aggressive.
This represents a clear abuse of power by the Provisionals. Furthermore it must be asked whether Cumann Lúthchleas Gael is to allow itself to be used in such a blatantly partisan manner.
3. £30M FOR 1,800 UNSOLVED MURDERS — RFJ UNIMPRESSED
THE announcement that 100 RUC/PSNI members are to reinvestigate a large number of unsolved murders, which took place during the Troubles, has been greeted with scepticism by campaigners for victims killed as a result of collusion.
British Secretary of State Paul Murphy announced the initiative on Tuesday, March 8 along with news that £30 million would be allocated to fund the work of the investigation.
A spokesperson for the campaigning victims’ group Relatives For Justice (RFJ) said that the announcement would not receive support from the families affected by British state violence and collusion with death squads.
“It is evident,” said RFJ’s Andree Murphy, “that the British government is seeking to create a mechanism that is not independent, which it controls and which safeguards its own interests by preventing proper independent examination of the role of its forces and agents during the conflict.
“Further evidence of this emerged last week when Paul Murphy shelved the consultation into dealing with the past, thereby undermining the views of victims to bring about an independent truth recovery process and have a voice in determining the way forward.”
But Andree Murphy believes that the proposed arrangements lack the investigative independence required to gain the confidence of the families RFJ represents.
“Any process that examines the past must be independent, transparent, accountable, and have public confidence and support. Clearly, this announcement does not constitute the criteria acceptable to hundreds of families affected by state and state sponsored violence.
“Further, it does not fulfil the internationally accepted protocols associated with examining the past as part of a conflict resolution process. These are based on the simple principle that to honestly examine the past one must not be implicated in any actions being examined or hold a vested interest in the final outcome.
“Of course, everyone knows and accepts that the PSNI/RUC were involved and have an interest in the outcome. Officers involved in past abuses, particularly in Special Branch, simply transferred from the RUC into the PSNI and will ultimately have the final say in any internal process of investigation. This is unacceptable.”
The new unit will be under the direction and control of the head of the RUC/PSNI, Hugh Orde, and will look at some 1800 unsolved murders from 1969 to the signing of the Agreement.
“The Chief Constable could not provide assurances that state killings will be investigated properly this time round. Nor can he assure us that none of the officers in the Serious Crime Review Team have been party to or directly involved in any of the killings in question or their cover-ups,” added Andree Murphy.
Speaking after the announcement, Kathleen Duffy, mother of Séamus Duffy (15), who was killed by a plastic
bullet fired by an RUC man at close range in the New Lodge, said that she will have no faith in the initiative if the PSNI are involved.
“I feel the same way as after Séamus was killed – it is like the RUC investigating themselves. They have never done anything to give confidence in them. The only way that I’ll get justice is if the person who killed him stands up and admits that they did it.”
Kathleen believes that the investigators need to be drawn from bodies independent of the PSNI. “I would have more confidence if someone from a neutral jurisdiction investigated it, a fair-minded person who could treat the evidence of the case with an open mind.”
4. BRITAIN REFUSES TO HOLD PUBLIC FINUCANE INQUIRY
BRITAIN has refused to make any concessions to the Dublin government over plans to hold an inquiry in private into the killing of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane. This emerged following a meeting between officials on March 11.
The legislation under which the British will hold the inquiry gives British ministers the power to order an inquiry to hear evidence in private, and to bar the production of some evidence altogether to protect so-called British national security.
26-County officials sought concessions on the shape of the Inquiries Bill, which has already been passed by the British House of Lords and will go before the British House of Commons on Tuesday, March 15.
In particular the Dublin government wants an inquiry into the 1989 murder of Pat Finucane by a British backed Loyalist death squad to be held under the 1921 Tribunals of Inquiry Act, which would allow for hearings in public. Failing that they wanted a change to clause 20 of the Inquiries Bill so that British ministers would not restrict such an inquiry.
The proposed British legislation has already been sharply criticised by Lord Saville who chaired the recent Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
Last week he said: “I would not be prepared to be a member of an inquiry if at my back was a minister with power to exclude the public or evidence from the hearings.”
The judge’s concerns are shared by the British Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, and other British legal figures said: “I take the view that this provision makes a serious inroad into the independence of any inquiry.
“It is likely to damage or destroy public confidence in the inquiry and its findings, especially in any case where the conduct of the authorities may be in question.”
“The inquiry itself should have the power to decide what evidence was heard in public and what documents were published. The idea that this would not be done by the inquiry but by the government, which might have a vested interest in the findings, strikes me as unacceptable”.
5. OMBUDSMAN INVESTIGATES SHOOTING BY RUC IN 2003
NEIL McConville was 22 years old when he was shot dead by the RUC in April 2003. He was shot while driving a car near Lisburn when it was rammed by the RUC. His passenger was wounded in the shooting and survived. It has since emerged that a joint RUC/British Army covert surveillance operation was in place on the two men. No one has been charged with the killing and the family of Neil McConville says that they want answers. The Ombudsman’s office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing but the family is requesting a meeting with the Free State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dermot Aherne, to request his assistance in finding out the truth.
6. DEATHS OF BRITISH ARMY RECRUITS SUBJECT OF INVESTIGATION
THE Parliamentary Defence Select Committee report into the deaths of four young recruits at the Deepcut British army barracks in Surry accused the British Army of a cover-up and obstruction of the resulting investigation. Four young recruits have died in Deepcut over the past seven years. Others have died in Catterick in Yorkshire.
This should come as no surprise to anyone living in Ireland, especially in the Occupied Six Counties. Cover-ups and brutality and abuse are part and parcel of the regime in the Six Counties and it is not confined to the British Army. The RUC and the British Government are just as culpable. Perhaps when the cover-up happens closer to home, and the individuals who died were British subjects, the situation is looked at differently.
7. £8bn TO BE SPENT ON NUCLEAR REACTORS IN BRITAIN
THE British government has indicated that, after the elections, nuclear will be back on the agenda. It will publish a White Paper that is expected to propose the construction of new nuclear reactors to replace those now being taken out of service. “Leading nuclear construction companies including French nuclear giant Areva, UK construction company Amec and Westinghouse, the US arm of BNFL, are already looking for potential partners ahead of any government move,” according to Tim Webb and Clayton Hirst.
8. MAN WHO REFUSED TO PAY TV LICENCE FOR 21 YEARS IS JAILED
A MAN who has refused to pay his television licence for 21 years was jailed on March 4 after refusing to pay a €200 fine for not having a licence.
Richard Behal, who lives in Killarney, stood as a Republican Sinn Féin candidate in the 1984 European elections in Munster.
Because of the 26-County State’s Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act, which was then in force, RTE did not include a live interview with him on an election programme. All other eight candidates appeared live on the programme.
Richard Behal, who is no longer a member of any political organisation, describing himself as an “independent Republican”, claims he was disadvantaged by not appearing live on the programme and has since refused to pay his television licence fee.
He has been involved in a number of court cases on the issue. In July 2003 he failed in an appeal to the Circuit Court against a District Court for not paying his licence fee. Richard Behal argued that he was entitled to withhold his licence fee on account of his treatment under Section 31.
Speaking from his home in Killarney, Co Kerry, shortly before being taken to Cork Prison on March 4, Richard Behal said he was prepared to spend up to 15 nights in prison rather than pay “one cent” of the fine.
He also asked family and friends not to pay the fine, saying the issue was “a matter of deep principle” for him.
9. FREE STATE EASTER COMMEMORATIONS ‘EXERCISE IN POLITICAL ONE-UPMANSHIP’
THE coming together of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael politicians in County Clare to commemorate the Easter Rising has been described as “grotesque and hypocritical” by Republican Sinn Féin spokesperson John O’Mahony of Kilrush, Co Clare.
He said on March 14 that the joint commemoration by the Civil War parties planned for Kilrush on Easter Sunday nothing more than an exercise in political one-upmanship in an attempt to appeal to the electorate.
“This type of jumping on the bandwagon activity only gives a bad name to politicians and politics,” he said. “It is an example of the unprincipled lengths politicians will go to curry favour with the people.
“The fact is both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have turned their backs on the men of 1916 and have done all in their power to erase the memory of the heroic figures from the Rising.
“Not only that, both these parties have executed Republicans in Clare – that is their history and their legacy and these politicians should not be allowed to forget it.
“We will be holding a commemoration on Easter Sunday to remember not only the men of 1916 but all the Clare Republicans who were murdered by Crown Forces and by the Free State.
“This joint exercise by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Kilrush must be exposed for what it is an attempt by these parties to erase their roles in executing Republicans who fought and died for the All Ireland Republic.”
10. EU STATES COULD GO TO WAR, SAYS NATO HEAD
NATO’s secretary-general has suggested that the EU’s new battle groups could be used to go to war. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told the Spanish newspaper El Pais he did not accept a claim by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana that the EU would never go to war.
“I don’t believe that’s true. Why is the EU creating battle groups? It is not just to help rebuild a country. The battle groups are not for building schools,” he said.
The NATO chief’s comments also contradict claims made by the Vice President of the EU Commission, Margot Walstrom, who during a visit to Dublin on March 10, claimed that the EU constitution did not clear the way for the formation of a European army.
EU member states agreed last year to set up 13 so-called battle groups, military units up to 1,500 strong that could be deployed quickly both within the EU and internationally.
Despite claims by EU officials that the battle groups would be used to help stabilise conflict areas and to protect humanitarian missions, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that once these units are operational they could amore robust mandate.
“It may be that to keep the peace combat is necessary. If the EU creates battle groups and NATO a rapid-reaction force, I would say we shouldn’t think the EU is for soft power and NATO for tough power,” he said.
Most EU states have agreed to take part in the proposed battle groups, whilst the Dublin government has said it will amend legislation so as to allow the 26-County State’s participation.
11. US SHOULD LEAVE IRAQ, SAYS SOLDIER
A US soldier who recently returned from Iraq joined protesters in Dublin on March 11 to try to help mobilise a fresh anti-war campaign.
Kelly Dougherty, who spent eight years in the Colorado National Guard, said the longer she spent in Iraq the more convinced she became that American troops should be withdrawn.
“It seemed like many of the things we were doing were either counterproductive to bringing peace and stability or an obstacle to progress”.
“For nine out of ten months in Iraq, our military unit did not have a translator. Communications were restricted to pantomimes and a lot of misunderstandings arose from that”.
“People were getting shot, or arrested. Their houses were getting searched and their property confiscated when we didn’t really know what was going on,” Kelly Dougherty, a biology graduate with Irish roots, who enlisted as a medic, added.
“Before the war started, I was opposed to it but I had an obligation with the military to serve. What I saw there turned me even more against the war”.
One of her duties, she said, was to escort convoys of fuel trucks. When these broke down and could not be repaired, “we would have to destroy the vehicle, even though it had fuel or food or equipment in it. That caused a lot of confusion and frustration among Iraqis because they did not have any of these things and we were destroying them in front of them”.
Kelly Dougherty said morale among her fellow soldiers fluctuated during her tour between April 2003 and February 2004.
While in Dublin, Kelly Dougherty met activists who are organising a rally in Dublin on March 19 as part of an international day of protest against the war in Iraq. She also expressed her support for the five protesters facing trial before the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for damaging a US warplane in Shannon.
She rejected claims that conditions had improved in Iraq since the recent elections. “The responsible and right thing to do is to withdraw our troops and funnel all that money which is keeping our there to the Iraqi people,” Kelly Dougherty said.
ENDS
