Internment Extended from Ireland to London 2012 Olympics

The British Army was supposedly forced to outlaw hooding, more than 40 years ago when internment was introduced in British Occupied Ireland, following a guilty of torture verdict, by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Now their latest tactic is secrecy and cover up.

For over a year, MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans has been lobbying Ministers, claiming a new Bill’s measures, are essential in order to protect national security. The Bill introduced in the House of Lords, rather than the House of Commons, has had its second reading a week ago.

The Bill will ensure the secrecy of illegal practices, such as the circumstances surrounding the internment without trial of people such as Marian Price and Martin Corey where judges have ordered they be both released and the secret information for their internment ruled invalid.

Recent revelations of Britain's secret Iraq Torture prisons with UK soldiers beating innocent Iraqi men to death in black op jails, would under the new secret justice law, mean their torture will be hidden forever.Claims of abuse by British soldiers carried out in secret illegal prisons in the Iraq's deserts will be silenced by the new law.

A civilian died after being assaulted aboard an RAF helicopter, while others were hooded, stripped and beaten just as in British Occupied Ireland with internment, in this instance at a camp in the desert.A separate group of 64 Iraqi men disappeared after they were spirited away by two RAF Chinooks to a black site prison. A flagrant breach of international law occurred when this secret network was sanctioned by senior Ministry of Defence lawyers.


If the Justice and Security Bill become law, Ministers will be able to demand secret hearings to prevent the public or victims from ever seeing evidence.Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Mercer, the chief British Army lawyer in Iraq during the invasion, said what happened in the secret prison network amounted to ‘war crimes’. It was his job to monitor treatment of prisoners taken by British, and the conditions of detention but he was kept ‘totally in the dark’ about the secret network’s existence.

‘This prisoner facility operated entirely outside the normal chain of command.I find it remarkable that I knew nothing about it at the time. What is clear now is that, if the Justice and Security Bill does become law, the truth may never come out.Colonel Mercer has now left the British Army also said ‘These are alleged war crimes, but what Britain did may never be disclosed. Indeed, the Bill may be specifically designed to prevent such allegations ever coming to light.’

Senior Conservative MP David Davis said the Bill seemed, ‘tailored to produce a cover-up. I find it astonishing that the military authorities responsible for the legality of prisoner detention were not even notified about these secret camps. If these allegations are substantiated, they amount to a serious blow to the rule of law.The Bill, if passed, would be another, giving Ministers the power effectively to instruct judges to withhold evidence in court cases.’ This precisely the issue behind the internment of Marian pPice and Martin Corey in British Occupied Ireland, where judges have ruled they be released but the Secretary of State Paterson in cohort with MI5 believe they are a law unto themselves, and can overrule judges and their own Queen with secrecy surrounding interment without trial.


One of the black site locations was an oil pumping station in the desert known as ‘H1’, where the 64 prisoners picked up on April 12, 2003. H1 was run by both British Forces and the CIA with brutal interrogation methods. One of the 64 men, Tariq Sabri, was kicked to death by one of the RAF regiment on a Chinook.Mr Sabri was buried in the desert without a post mortem. A leaked RAF report gives documented evidence of  prisoners on helicopter assaulted while they were handcuffed, hooded and knelt on just like British Occupied Ireland. So much for British promises to the European Court of Human Rights. One man unconscious along with Mr Sabri were loaded face down one on top of the other. When they reached camp, Mr Sabri was dead. His hood fixed so tightly over his head it had to be cut off.The fate of the other 63 prisoners flown to H1 remain unknown with speculation some may have been ‘rendered’ to a US prison outside Iraq another illegal act.

A second torture camp called ‘Station 22,’ was established at a phosphate mine near Al-Qaim, close to the Syrian border. One man was stopped in his car on April 13, 2003, by British troops at a roadblock between Al-Qaim and Ramadi. The SAS and other Special Forces are known to have operated there. According to this man, he and his two sons were forced out of their car, continuously kicked, punched, handcuffed,hooded and then put in an armoured personnel carrier, where they were again assaulted again.

They were driven for 45 minutes, when his hood was removed at Station 22. This camp was not registered with the Red Cross, as required by the Geneva Conventions. The man a civilian with his sons were unarmed. Detaining civilians in wartime is legal only if they pose an imminent danger to occupying forces. Just as in British Occupied Ireland with internment, the beatings and hooding continued for three more days.  Finally, the were all forced to stand naked and were brought into an interrogation room. He feared being raped by the British ‘It has been nine years but I can never forget that day.’

Over the following three weeks, many prisoners were brought to Station 22. Finally, after three weeks he and his sons were driven in a British Army vehicle and dumped on a roadway between Al-Qaim and Akashat. He later found his car burnt out where he had a substantial sum of money to repay a loan which was never returned.

Another witness, a lorry driver was stopped at a checkpoint who like the first prisonerwas hooded, beaten, taken to Station 22 and interrogated about alleged weapons of mass destruction. A British soldier kicked him so hard that two of his ribs broke. Another witness says he was hooded, punched and kicked at a roadblock and detained detained at Station 22 where he was interrogated about WMD while stripped naked and then dropped on the roadside after three weeks.

Lieut Col Mercer has said: ‘The allegations are blatant violations of the Geneva Conventions and UN Convention Against Torture. If indeed prisoners were rendered beyond Iraq’s borders, then this is potentially one of the most serious war crimes under the Rome Statute.’ The evidence of these three Iraqi men raises issues of the utmost constitutional importance. Who knew about these secret sites? Who was responsible for the interrogation of the detainees? Why didn’t the head of Army Legal in Iraq at the time know of them? ‘Most importantly, who gave legal cover for them? These and many other questions must now be answered by the MoD providing full disclosure of relevant documentation, including emails.’

But if the Bill becomes law, is little chance this would ever be revealed: ‘This is exactly the kind of case which the Bill seems to have been designed for. It has all the elements: alleged torture, the use of Special Forces, possible renditions of prisoners to foreign powers. The truth about what happened must be disclosed.’Like the camps, legal supervision of Mr Sabri’s death did not pass through the usual military chain of command but instead was taken over by lawyers at the MoD based at the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood, North-West London.


The director of civil liberties group Liberty has said: ‘Lawyers and other officials must be servants of the rule of law, not above it, and if lawyers sanctioned these alleged abuses, they do not deserve the cloak of anonymity. The current Bill would make it highly unlikely that the truth of such cases would ever be aired in public.’


Senior Conservative MP David Davis said the Bill seemed to be ‘tailored to produce a cover-up’. Lieut Col Mercer has said: ‘As the senior military lawyer in Iraq, I want to know why I wasn’t told about any of this. For PJHQ and MODLA to have taken charge of an investigation of this kind is highly irregular.’  Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke admitted MI5 and other security and intelligence agencies have had a significant ‘input’ into the proposed new measures with MI5 Director-General Jonathan Evans lobbying Ministers and Shadow Cabinet members it suggests the same secrecy and cover up of illegal activity around internment without trial in British Occupied Ireland. Not surprising really as Ireland has been treated like the private testing laboratory for MI5 secret government for decades.

Meanwhile the British Viceroy in Ireland along with MI5 is to bring an appeal tomorrow against Martin Corey's legal victory against his internment.  Mr Corey was released on bail yesterday by ajudge but his release was dramatically blocked by oder of British Direct Ruler, Owen Paterson and MI5.

 Mr Corey was due to be released on unconditional bail after the High Court's Justice Treacy held that Parole Commissioners breached his human rights in keeping him behind bars. As Mr Corey was being released at the gates of Maghaberry jail to be
 reunited with his friends and family, Owen Paterson blocked his release. The matter went before a second judge today where Justice McCloskey complied with the order to deny Mr Corey his freedom. The Court of Appeal will make a fresh determination
 tomorrow.

 Mr Corey a  61-year-old from Lurgan, County Armagh, was freed on licence in 1992, having served 19 years in jail, but was interned in 2010 on the basis of 'confidential' or 'closed' information from an MI5 informer which now has taken precedence over a judicial ruling. Justice Treacy held yesterday that there had been a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. He found that the Mr Corey had been jailed on the basis of secret evidence, in contravention of his human rights.He also ruled that the Parole Commissioners had misdirected themselves in law and failed to provide a sufficient safeguard against the use of secret evidence.

 Mr Justice Treacy ruled that the Commissioners should reconsider the matter and directed that Corey should be released in the meantime. However, lawyers for Paterson and MI5 later returned to the High Court seeking a stay from an MI5 approved alternative judge, while an appeal is prepared. Mr Corey's barrister opposed the request, arguing there was no jurisdiction to grant the application. Karen Quinlivan QC also claimed it had been inappropriate to put her client's release on hold following a hearing at which she was not present.But the new judge Justice McCloskey decided on Tuesday: "The stay which the court ordered provisionally yesterday will be extended until further order of the Court of Appeal."

 In a statement, Republican Sinn Fein said that the move by the British government to overrule Justice Treacy's bail decision exposes the lengths the British state is prepared to go in order imprison Irish republicans. There was "not even a semblance" of due process for the veteran Republican, who has been interned without trial since April 2010. When it comes to dealing with Ireland and the Irish people the British state always reverts to the methods of the coloniser dealing with the colonised," they said.

 "The norms of judicial process and the rule of law are set aside in order to suppress anyone who is prepared to speak out in opposition to British occupation in Ireland. The actions of Owen Paterson in denying Martin Corey his freedom givesthe lie to any pretence that the Six-County state is a normal democratic state. His action represents an attack on the human rights not just of Martin Corey but every person within the Six Counties who would dare to speak out against the status quo".

 Mr Mac Cionnaith of Eirigi said, the "usurping" by Owen Paterson of the court's ruling that Martin Corey should be immediately released was "clear confirmation that a British government policy of selective internment without trial is operating within the Six Counties. Paterson's unprecedented intervention, and his ordering of Martin's re-arrest, is evidence that the so-called policing and justice reforms endorsed by the constitutional nationalist parties at Stormont are nothing more than a piece of political deception of the worst kind."

 Sinn Fein Assembly member Sean Lynch has described the move as "outrageous" and has accused the British Direct Ruler of interfering with Mr Corey's release. The Fermanagh/South Tyrone representative said: "It is totally unacceptable that this fly-by-night British Minister, who is not elected by anyone in the North, can imprison someone without placing any evidence or proof before the court. The revoking of licenses on the basis of secretive evidence not available to the accused or his solicitor is damaging confidence in the justice system." He said Mr Paterson should now do the right thing and end this pointless legal appeal and allow Martin Corey to return home to his family.

The illegal farce with Marin Corey follows similar orders by two judges for the release of the interned Marian Price but again Paterson and MI5 overruled the release orders by the judiciary and by their own Queen. There is a joke currently doing the rounds in British Occupied Ireland as to which is the real palace of power in London, it certainly has no semblance of democracy or due process.There is also believed to be an extension of internment without trial being extended to London 2012, in the build up to the Olympic Games.

Irish Republican News ; Outrage as Martin Corey's Release Blocked

Outrage as Martin Corey's release is blocked

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Irish Republican News repnews-reply@irlnet.com	1:07 AM (10 hours ago)
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>>>>>> Flash: Outrage as Martin Corey's release is blocked


A veteran republican today won his court challenge against hus
internment -- but his release was dramatically blocked by the British
government.

Martin Corey, a 61-year-old man from County Armagh, was ordered to be
freed on unconditional bail after he surprisingly won a legal challenge
against his internment this afternoon.

But in a dramatic day for the North of Ireland's irregular judicial
system, the British Direct Ruler Owen Paterson intervened to order his
continued detention.

The Lurgan man was sentenced to life in 1973 and was released in 1992.
But his release licence was revoked in 2010 over 'secret' allegations
which were never revealed. In one of the most high-profile internments
of the post-peace process era, the former British Direct Ruler Shaun
Woodward then ordered Mr Corey's imprisonment on the basis of "closed
material".

The court hearing today centred on the legality of the secrecy
surrounding the basis upon which the veteran political dissident was
sent back to jail.

In August last year the Parole Commissioners decided that the revocation
of Mr Corey's licence should remain in force. They considered what was
described as 'open' material, as well as 'confidential' material, of
which neither Corey nor his legal representatives had sight.

Mr Corey received an unexpected endorsement this afternoon from an
infamously anti-republican judge, Justice Treacy, who ruled this
afternoon that parole commissioners had breached his human rights in
refusing to release him.

He held there had been a breach of the European Convention on Human
Rights which states that anyone deprived of their liberty can have the
lawfulness of detention decided by a court.

The judge found that the so-called 'open' evidence did not advance the
British Direct Ruler's case against Corey, meaning that his decision was
solely based on the 'confidential' material.

Justice Treacy also ruled that the Parole Commissioners misdirected
themselves in law and failed to provide a sufficient safeguard against
the secretive claims of the British government.

After the court ruling, his supporters expressed elation, but also
concern at the slowness of the authorities at Maghaberry prison to act
on the court order.

There fears were not helped by the mainstream media, all of whom
reported in turn that Mr Corey had in fact been released to his family
and friends.

It was hours later that it was confirmed that the British government had
blocked his release.  No grounds for that action have yet been
expressed. There is to be a further court hearing tomorrow [Tuesday].

We will update this story as further information becomes available.

THE HOODED WOMAN

Today it is Marian Price, Martin Corey and Gerry McGeough along with numerous young Irish people interned without trial or by diplock remand. The continued imprisonment and torture of Marian Price in British Occupied Ireland is clearly an abuse of human rights. By any definition of human rights, solitary confinement for 15 months is torture. The U.N. special rapporteur has stated that solitary confinement for more than 15 days is torture and creates considerable psychological damage.

Ms. Price is close to 60 years old and suffers severe complications from arthritis and gastric disorders from being force fed 400 times previously on hunger strike it is obvious she is truly not a "threat to society" as two judges already ruled and ordered her immediate release. The unelected English Viceroy for British Occupied Ireland  Owen Paterson, has on the same secret intelligence overuled both and a previous Queen's pardon to intern her without trial.

Her crime? Holding a piece of paper, a political statement, for a masked man at a traditional Easter Rising ceremony. Whether we agree or not with Ms. Price's politics and opposition to British repression and occupation in Ireland, her treatment is meant to be a threat to anyone who disagrees with British government thinking you are considered a criminal if you challenge the British occupation in Ireland even by peaceful means.

INTERNMENT CREATED A WAR THAT CREATED PROVISIONAL SINN FEIN






" INTERNMENT
In the early hours of the 9th August 1971 British soldiers launched operation Demetrius, the introduction of internment without trial. Internment had been employed by the Unionist Government at Stormont in every decade since the creation of the northern state as a means to suppress Republican opposition. In the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s republican suspects had been imprisoned without trial. As violence increased in 1970 and 1971 the Unionist Government again came under increasing pressure to clamp down on the activities of the IRA. By August 1971 the Stormont Government had convinced the British Government that internment offered the best method of dealing with the increasing violence, and pointed to its repeated success in previous decades. In an attempt to reduce the expected nationalist outrage a ban on all parades was announced at the same time, aimed at defusing the potential for unrest that the Apprentice Boys parade on the 12th August posed.
Relying on outdated lists containing 450 names provided by the RUC Special Branch, the British Army swept into nationalist areas of the north and arrested 342 men. The RUC intelligence, however, was hopelessly outdated and many of those arrested had no connections with the IRA. Others, although Republican minded, had not been active in decades. Others arrested included prominent members of the Civil Rights movement. In one instance in Armagh the British Army sought to arrest a man who had been dead for the past 4 years. It appears that the rapid radicalisation of much of the north’s nationalist community, and the RUC’s alienation from that community in the previous 2 years, had created a large intelligence gap in RUC files. Indeed, so out of date were the lists that within 48 hours 116 of those arrested were released. The remainder were detained at Crumlin Rd prison and the prison ship The Maidstone.

Internees being transported to the Maidstone prison ship, August 1971.

Many of those active Republicans whose names were on the lists had been forewarned that internment was imminent and had gone on ‘the run’. At dawn on 23 July 1971, 1,800 troops and RUC raided Republican houses across the north, searching for documents. This operation was viewed by many Republicans as a dry run for internment and they responded accordingly.
Remarkably no Loyalists were arrested in the operation, despite the fact that the UVF had been active since 1966. The first Protestant internees were not arrested until 2nd February 1973.
The reaction of the Nationalist community was furious. This anger was reinforced when news of the treatment of the internees, particularly 11 men who became known as the "hooded men" became public. This anger took the form of increased support for the IRA and the commencement of a campaign of civil disobedience that enjoyed overwhelming support within the nationalist community."


Britain has been found guilty of torture of prisoners in Ireland by the European Court at  Strasbourg and promised not to repeat that torture but the like all the broken promise of the Peace agreement the Tory Party since its election have been systematically breaking these promises and returning to war on the Irish people, Internment without trial is wartime activity on defenceless population.

THE HOODED MEN

• in depth interrogation with the use of hooding, white noise, sleep deprivation, prolonged enforced physical exercise together with a diet of bread and water.
• deceiving detainees into believing that they were to be thrown from high flying helicopters. In reality the blindfolded detainees were thrown from a helicopter that hovered approximately 4 feet above the ground.
• forcing detainees to run an obstacle course over broken glass and rough ground whilst being beaten.

The combination of botched arrests, stories of brutality escaping from the internment centres and the reintroduction of internment, which was viewed as a form of communal punishment and humiliation, unleashed a wave of violence across the north, with practically no military gains to offset the impact internment had on the entire nationalist community.


In Derry City barricades were again erected around Free Derry and for the next 11 months these areas effectively seceded from Northern Ireland. Protests, street demonstrations and riots were common as the entire community sought to demonstrate its opposition to internment. At the same time a rents and rates strike was introduced in protest against internment and within weeks was supported, according to government figures, by 26,000 households. A day of action on the 16th August saw 8,000 Derry workers on strike. The next day 30 prominent Derry Catholics withdrew from public bodies, as Jack Lynch called for the immediate end of internment and 3 days later 130 anti Unionist local councillors across the north withdrew from local councils.

British troops coming under attack in the Bogside, Autumn 1971.

John Hume, soaked by a water-cannon, is arrested during
an anti internment protest in Derry, August 1971.

The IRA held a press conference in Belfast on the 13th August at which Joe Cahill, the Officer Commanding the IRA in Belfast, claimed that internment had had no noticeable effect on IRA structures and the campaign would continue. The statistics add weight to his words. In the remainder of August 1971 35 people were killed, 1 more than the total for the previous 7 months, and c. 7,000 Catholic families had fled across the border. By the year’s end 139 people had been killed since the introduction of internment.

In an attempt to provide a mechanism for the expression of non violent opposition to internment a number of rallies and marches were planned. On Christmas Day 1971 c. 4,000 protestors attempted to march from Belfast to Long Kesh.

This march was blocked before reaching its destination on the M1 motorway and dispersed.

On the 22nd January another protest march took place at Magilligan Strand, not far from Derry City.

This protest was blocked by the British Army and dispersed with violence, in which members of the Parachute Regiment were prominent. The next anti-internment rally was planned for Derry, on Sunday 30th January 1972 where the British army shot the people of the street shooting dozens and slaughtering 13 unarmed civilians.

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Justice For Marian Price

Marian Price has been held for 422 days in Solitary Confinement.! Justice for Marian Price Website visits.  Free Website Counters Radio Foyle Broadcast on Derry Marian Price Public meeting - click below to play. radio foyle breakfast.mp3  Breaking News Marian Price   UPDATES Last Update 1st June 2012 press page updated New leaflet online please share - click here Renowned Human Rights Campaigner Monsignor Raymond Murray on the Price case Marian Flyer.jpg Size : 404.536 Kb Type : jpg  Juan Mendez U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture- Video The current incarceration of Marian Price and her state of health which I believe to be morally wrong...I want to make it clear that Ms Price should be released and I conveyed this to the Minister and his officials this afternoon.”           Pat Ramsey SDLP MLA The continuing imprisonment of Marian Price in Maghaberry is a scandal and would be seen more widely in this light were it not for her politics.   'It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the reason there hasn’t been more of a hullaballoo about this matter is that many of those who might have been expected to stand up for civil rights are repelled by Ms Price’s politics'...    'the extent to which civil rights are defended in the political mainstream is to some extent at least determined by the political beliefs of whomever is being denied their rights'...  Eamonn McCann Journalist, Human Rights Activist, Amnesty Award Winner It is a retrograde step and is reminiscent of the worst days of the conflict when the government showed scant regard for fundamental human rights standards.”  Pat Finucane Centre -  Derry Based Human Rights Group The treatment of Marian Price has to be of deep concern to anyone who values human rights. Liam Gallagher, Secretary Derry Trades Council The move by Owen Patterson amounts to detention without trial; this runs contrary to natural justice. The justice system needs to be based on human rights protection; the revoking of Marian Price’s licence runs contrary to that.  Raymond McCartney SF MLA

Free Marian campaign Dublin The Free Marian Price Campaign will be holding the monthly picket on Saturday the 7th of July at 2pm at the GPO to call for the release of Marian Price. Please join us and spread  the word. This is a non-party political picket therefore only posters and banners without party names on them should be brought. The campaign group will provide placards. Justice for Marian meeting in Coalisland,Tyrone Motion adopted by Dublin City Council That Dublin City Council calls for the release of Marian Price on health and humanitarian grounds and  requests an explanation for the incarceration of Marian Price from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland and First and Deputy First Ministers in Northern  Ireland. Protest at Dublin council meeting. A motion was adopted at the meeting to support Marian's immediate release Tourists in Belfast show support for Marian  Justice For Marian Campaigners spent the day distributing leaflets and collecting  signatures from tourists who signed the   petition supporting Marian  The Free Marian Price Dublin Campaign will be holding a picket outside of Dublin City  Hall on Monday, the 2nd of July at 6.30pm. City councillors will be discussing Marian's  case at the council meeting and debating a motion calling for the release of Marian Price.  Please join us and spread the word. There will be no party political posters at the picket.  Justice for Marian  campaigners will assemble at the International Wall Falls Road/Divis Street on Saturday the 30th June at 11.am tohighlight the continued illegal internment of Marian  despite her critical state of health and medical experts recommendations.  We ask all available supporters to join us for leaflet distribution and petition signing throughout the day. Our aim is to spread the message of this grave injustice worldwide and one avenue is to inform the numerous tourists attracted to the Wall. AOH Official stance on the Marian Price case “The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America believes that the incarceration without charges of Marian Price is a return to the discredited time when British Security Forces would intern Irish Republicans on a whim and with no evidence. This may be viewed as a serious violation of the Good Friday Agreement. We ask that this seriously ill woman be released immediately to her physicians and her family.” Seamus Boyle National President and Brendan Moore National Vice President Presented by AOH Brooklyn County President Jim Sullivan at the Free Marian Price Campaign, US “Evening in Solidarity with Marian Price” on July 27, 2012.  There will be a bus from Belfast to Coalisland for anyone wishing to attend the meeting.  For further information and to book a seat contact 07925335146 Statement from Price and McGlinchey family June 22nd 2012 Marian Price's husband Jerry McGlinchey and the Price family have concerns in relation to this latest move to a secure hospital unit in Belfast. Past moves made  on medical grounds have proved detrimental and indeed exacerbated Marian's complex medical conditions. In recent discussions with medical consultants  charged with Marian's care it was stated that an unsuitable environment would be 'counter-therapeutic'. In fact a doctor representing the state gave evidence  that going to a secure hospital unit would compound Marian's acute illnesses  and would mitigate against any beneficial treatment. We welcome the intervention of the UN doctors who will visit Marian over the  coming days and trust that they will make a speedy report on her condition given  the urgency of the situation. The family hope that this move to a secure unit is  not a cynical ploy on the eve of a visit by UN doctors to stymie any criticism of Marian's treatment. We are also concerned that the media were privy to information about this move before her family were informed. We can confirm that Marian has been moved to an outside hospital today June 22nd just days before UN appointed doctors are due to visit Marian in Hydebank Prison on Wednesday June 27th British NGOs, activists, academics and lawyers  call for release of Marian and Martin Corey To read click link to the Pat Finucane centre document on the main menu above  Bloody Sunday family members Kate and Linda Nash I am filled with fear for our people, it is very apparent that the Governments intentions against anyone  who is not a drone in our society will no doubt lose their freedom, self expression even in a peaceful  manner will not be tolerated. I attended a Marian  Price Rally on Saturday evening , one of many that is  well supported here and abroad and was so saddened by the plight of  Marians family who are doing  everything possible to gain her release , they are so fearful of her health that has deteriorated so dreadfully  over the past year. I am calling on every member of our society to come out and support these Rally's  against internment , help get this lady home to her family. Please believe this !!! History is already  repeating itself in this country and the next knock on the door could be for you!!!!! Innocent people are  being interned now and the signs are clear,  there's going to be a lot more . Kate Nash Linda Nash Bloody Sunday March Organizers Free Marian Price Campaign, US John Duddy will be reading at the "Evening in Solidarity with Marian Price" on Wednesday June 27 at 7 pm at O'Lunney's 145 W. 45 Street, between 6th & 7th Avenue.  Photos from the public meeting in Dublin.  Speakers;  Maureen O'sullivan - Independent TD,   Ite Ni Chionnaith - Human Rights and Irish Language Activist,  Michael Finucane - Human Rights Lawyer   Monsignor Raymond Murray - Human Rights Activist Jerry McGlinchey - Marian's husband At the rally/protest Jerry McGlinchey told the crowd "When I look at my wife I am, of course gravely worried. She has been in prison now for 394 days and her health is of great concern to us, her family. When I look at my wife I also feel great admiration, because I honestly feel that myself and most people I know would have been broken well before now. She is close to the edge, a place where her recovery will take a long time to happen, if it ever does. How she is bearing up is testament to the strong woman that she is."  Visit the press section for further information Speakers Jerry Mc Glinchey (Marian's husband) Francie McGuigan.. Ex-internee Eva Patterson... Ex-prisoner Kate Nash.... Bloody Sunday Justice Campaigner Photos from recent protest in New york FREE MARIAN PRICE CAMPAIGN, US  Thursday June 7, 7 pm Edison Ballroom 240 W 47th St between 7th & 8th Ave Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. But in Northern Ireland her government has imprisoned Marian Price for over a year without a trial, sentence, or release date. Unless the courts intervene she could spend the rest of her life in prison.  Please make an effort to attend. In particular we would call on everyone to attend the rally which will be addressed by ex-prisoners and ex-internees at 7pm. Protest for Marian in Dublin The Free Marian Price Dublin Committe.Will be holding a Protest on Sat 2nd of June from 2pm outside the NI Tourist Board Suffolk street to Highlight the ongoin Torture of Marian Price and Demand her Release. Please Join us and show your support Thousands attend march for Marian in Belfast  We would like to express our thanks to everyone who attended today to show their support for Marian. TD Maureen O'Sullivan addresses the March for Marian May 27th 2012     Recent protest in Belfast on the Falls Road  A recent protest at Dublin City Council  Raidio na Gaeltachta interview with Eamon O'Cuiv  Eamon O'Cuiv interview with Raidio na Gaeltachta. He states Marian's treatment horrifies him, Tuesday May 22nd 2012. To listen click link above. United Nations Send Doctor to Assess Marian. For full article please visit the Press page. Belfast March for Marian  New updated leaflet  Events and activities marking the anniversary of Marian's internment  A series of activties took place to mark the anniversary of Marian's internment. Crowds including MLA's from the SDLP & Sinn Fein were at events in Belfast and Derry to highlight the ongoing internment and torture of Marian. Supporters in Port Glasgow also took the opportunity to call for  Marian's release. Thank you for your ongoing support. Breaking News Marian was arrested on May 13th last year and charged with encouraging support for an illegal organisation. Today in the Derry Court these charges were dropped. Mural to be unveiled in Belfast The Justice for Marian Campaign in Belfast will unveil a mural on the Whiterock Road on Sunday the 13th May 2012.  All supporters of the Campaign are invited to assemble at the Whiterock Leisure Centre at 3.00pm and then proceed to the mural which has been painted by very talented local artists.  Marian was arrested on the same date one year ago and remains interned in isolation.  She has been tortured, neglected and denied the most basic human rights. This treatment has  ensured that a woman who was in very poor health is now chronically ill. The event is to highlight Marian's plight as she enters a second year of internment - an illegal act contrived by the British Secretary of State Owen Paterson and the Northern Ireland Office. They have 'lost/shredded'  a  pardon given to Marian in 1980 when she was close to death. We call on everyone to come out and help highlight this scandalous situation to ensure that it happens to no-one else.  All of us must mark this day by a strong presence and with a united voice shout loudly to  FREE MARIAN PRICE! She has done and would do it for you.  International and local support for Marian. Protest at Dublin May Day rally.   Marian's husband Jerry McGlinchey  addresses the   Justice for Marian Rally in Derry on Sun 22nd April Justice for Marian event in New York Solidarity Event for Marian Price As driving rains and threats of a Nor’easter kept most New Yorkers inside this past Sunday afternoon, close to one-hundred people filled Rocky Sullivan’s Pub in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They came to unite against a revived internment policy in Ireland, and to stand in solidarity with the basic human rights and due process deserved by every citizen in a democracy. The continued imprisonment of Marian Price for … well, no one knowswhat for because the British government hasn’t made that clear. For allegedly providing a mobile phone to people who were charged with killing two British soldiers, even though the accused in that case was found not guilty? For holding a piece of paper that held words critical of British rule in Ireland? Most people are confused about the specific charges against Marian Price, because Secretary of Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, has simply “revoked her license” (what we in the U.S. call parole). Marian had served years in prison for her role in the IRA bombing of the Old Bailey in London in 1973. Her legal team insists that Marian, in fact, received the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (the “Queen’s Pardon”) in 1980, when she was freed, having suffered extreme physical and emotional debilitation from forced feeding and torture while on hunger strike in British jails in the 1970s. British authorities now claim that the document specifying the conditions of Marian’s release in 1980 “cannot be located.”  Their word on this -- and their word that Marian is a threat -- is supposed to be good enough. Marian Price has been in solitary confinement in a British cell for nearly a year now, and faces the rest of her life in prison. Her case, though it spotlights some of the most blatant disregard for due process we’ve seen in a long time, and has caused immeasurable pain to her family and friends, is not simply about one person. The capriciousness of British justice in a period, post Good Friday Agreement, when this is all supposed to be in the past, sends a strong message that London can and will arbitrarily imprison anyone they are inclined to in the north. Past is present, and future. Today it’s Marian Price, tomorrow it could be anyone under suspicion. There need be no proof. And this case is not simply about Irish people or the British government. The same arbitrary, capricious and callous disregard for due process can be witnessed increasingly in our own country and in democracies across the globe. Just over a month ago, Bernadette Devlin McAliskey and Msgr. Raymond Murray spoke at a community meeting at Conway Mill in Befast for Marian Price’s release. A video of that meeting went viral in Irish America. We heard the call: “Organize, Agitate, Educate!” At that meeting community members spoke of their re-committal to a new civil and human rights movement against the British government’s ability to lock up anyone who speaks dissent in the alleged democracy. The crowd included people who identify across the fragmented political parties and affiliations of the north, from SWP to SDLP. Their message was united in solidarity with Marian and with all those imprisoned for who they are, rather than what they have done. Picture above - Sandy Boyer: Human Rights Activitist.  We wanted to do the same on our shores. Lifelong Irish American activist, Sandy Boyer, echoed the call. We expected about twenty people would show up. And as the Nor’easter approached, we figured we’d settle for ten and call it “a meeting,” a good start in preparation for bigger events in the future. But Rocky Sullivan’s was filled. The crowd was as diverse as that at Conway Mill, with concerned Irish Americans from across the American and Irish political spectrums. Musicians Mary Courtney, Ray Collins, Peadar o hÍcí, and Chris Byrne entertained and inspired. Brehon Law Society Delegate to the U.N., Gen. Jim Cullen, a human rights lawyer, spoke passionately about the rights of Marian and of all of those improperly accused and incarcerated in violation of the basic tenets of a democracy. Visual artist Conor McGrady gave a presentation on the role of the artist in the history of resistance to oppression in the north. All attendees signed post cards sent to Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson demanding the release of Marian Price. Past is present ... and future. And instead of having to hold a humble meeting, a “good start,” we all knew a solidarity movement was born. Orreborn.           – Michael Patrick MacDonald, Author, All Souls: A Family Story from Southie Derry Justice for Marian campaigners highlight Marian's ongoing  internment and torture to President of Ireland Michael D Higgins. Members of the Justice for Marian Group in Derry held an impromptu rally today to coincide  with a visit to Derry by President Michael D Higgins. Literature updating the president on  Marian's case was passed to the president and also to Martin McGuinness. Derry calls for the release of Marian Price 1000 people in Derry City Centre today called for the release of Marian Price. We would like to take  this opportunity to thank everyone wo turned up and to the speakers. We will be adding more photos shortly and hope to have video footage of the event. The press page will be updated with the coverage as soon as it becomes available. Murals on the Falls Road Belfast have been changed to include FREE MARIAN PRICE. Statement from British Irish Rights Watch   In recent days the NIO have issued a response to the letter sent  to Owen Paterson. The response contains quite a few inaccuracies and raises further questions. Facts  Marian Price was released on licence close to death on April 30th 1980. One week later she was granted the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (pardon) which according to  her solicitor at that time wiped the slate clean and overrode the one week old licence. How can the Secretary of State and the authorities claim to know what the pardon covered  given it has been either lost or shredded?  The NIO strongly deny  that Marian has been subjected to what experts define as torture. Marian spent ten months in isolation in Maghaberry all male prison and still remains isolated in  an alleged health care facility in Hydebank.  Juan Mendez the United Nations special Rapporteur on torture states 'Indefinite and prolonged solitary confinement in excess of 15 days should  be subject to an absolute prohibition.'  “Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause, it can amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment, during pre-trial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental  disabilities or juveniles."  Marian's treatment is in direct conflict with current human rights legislation. Recommendations made by numerous health care professionals to have Marian treated outside of the prison environment have been ignored. Treatment deemed necessary to treat the damage caused by ongoing isolation (torture) and neglect. As a segregated prisoner interacting with other prisoners isn't an option. This suggestion is  clearly an attempt to de-personalise and criminalise Marian and  cause her further  distress.  The reality is... Marian is being illegally held (interned) at the whim of Owen Patterson  (an English politician unelected and unaccountable to the people here ) and MI5 (unaccountable government intelligence agency). The document that would secure her release has been  destroyed . Marian has been subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. There has been scant regard shown for human rights and legal challenges to her internment as well as recommendations of numerous health care professionals.   Tell it like it is, this is Internment, Torture and Political Vindictiveness.  Peggy O'Hara mother of  Derry Hunger Striker Patsy O'Hara supports the Justice for Marian Campaign and will lead the procession in Derry with Monsignor Raymond Murray on April 22nd. Marian Price    Imprisoned, tortured, humiliated  - The Holy Land 2,000 years ago, Belfast today? An Evening of Reflection with:      *  Monsignor Raymond Murray - former chaplain to Armagh Women’s gaol       *  Peter Corrigan - solicitor for Marian Price       *  Fr. Martin Magill - Parish Priest, St. Oliver Plunkett Parish Plus testimonies from former Armagh and Maghaberry prisoners 7.30pm  Tuesday 3rd April 2012  St. Oliver Plunkett Church,   Glenveagh Drive, Lenadoon  In preparation for Easter, this is an opportunity to hear from Mgr. Raymond Murray and Peter Corrigan about the ongoing incarceration of  local woman Marian Price. Marian has been in gaol since May last year. The British Secretary of State claimed he was revoking her licence (dating back to 1980) even though Marian was granted a pardon due to ill health. The British government have since admitted to shredding this Royal Prerogative of  Justice which Marian’s solicitor is sure would secure her release. Marian has been held in solitary confinement for almost a year, first in Maghaberry Gaol and lately in the hospital wing of Hydebank.  This has led to a sharp deterioration in her health. The UN defines continued isolation as torture. Monsignor Murray has referred to Marian’s detention as “internment under another guise.” We will also hear about the continuing regime of forced strip searches in Maghaberry prison and the effect it is having on the mental and  physical health of the prisoners. As we remember and contemplate what happened during Holy Week two thousand  years ago, can we really ignore what is happening here in Belfast today? For more information, please contact Glen Phillips on 028 9061 8180  Photos from a recent event held at Free Derry Corner in Derry to highlight the ongoing internment and torture of Marian Price  We within the Justice For Marian campaign would like to thank all those who turned out at the events and to sign the petitions at Dunville Park over the weekend.We managed to collect thousands of signatures on our petitions and letters and will continue to collect more in other areas.  We would extend that thanks to the local traders who were very supportive and the speakers at yesterdays Rally... Maura McCrory, Human Rights Lawyer Padragin Drinan, Nuala Perry and Gerard Hodgkins. Photographs from Dunville Park Belfast .  Dunville Park is on the Falls Road Belfast.  Dublin Meeting Meeting to support Marian Price in Dublin A packed public meeting, which was conducted bilingually, was held in Dublin on Sunday 25th March, where demands were made for the immediate release of Republican prisoner, Marian Price. “Internment and torture” were the terms used by the first speaker,  Monsignor Raymond Murray, in describing Marian Price’s imprisonment, and he named Secretary of State, Owen Patterson, as responsible.  The Chairperson of the meeting, Íte Ní Chionnaith, agreed strongly with the points made that it was unjust, illegal and inhuman to keep Marian Price in prison, given her illness.  Two friends of Marian’s spoke, themselves ex-prisoners, Nuala Perry and Eibhlín Collins, asking that the campaign for Marian’s freedom be broadened, and they gave an account of her present suffering and the injustice surrounding her imprisonment. When the courts granted Marian bail in 2011, as Monsigner Murray  stated, Secretary of State Patterson revoked a licence given to her in 1980 and she was immediately re-arrested.  But she had also been pardoned – what is called the “Royal Prerogative of Mercy”, which was given in 1980.  This demonstrated the inhumanity of Patterson, according to Mons. Murray.  The British authorities announced that they were unable to find a copy of the pardon which had been given to Marian, or that it had been shredded.  Or so they say.  “Can we believe them ?” the Monsignor asked the crowd.  It is believed that Marian Price would have to be released if a copy of this pardon could be found. Íte Ní Chionnaith spoke about the suffering of Marian Price.  “Imagine  how awful it was for Marian and her sister Dolours in 1973 when they were tied to a chair during their hunger strike in Brixton Prison in England and were force fed.  A pipe was put down their throat and liquid was poured into it, down to their stomach, while they fought against it, until they almost choked.  Marian was in bad health when she was transferred to Ireland in 1975 and it was on health grounds that she was released in 1980.  Now almost 40 years later, at 57 years of age, she is interned under barbaric conditions.  This is a complete violation of human rights. Having spent ten months in solitary confinement in Maghaberry, Marian  Price’s health was so bad that she was transferred to Hydebank on 17 February, “a health facility” (so called) in which proper healthcare is not available.  Her doctor said that she must be transferred to a hospital outside the prison.  Her family and friends are very worried about her.  She has physical and psychological problems due to the dreadful conditions of her detention, the terrible legacy of her forced-feeding in 1973, the long years spent in Armagh Jail, and knowing that her detention is unjust and against human rights. It was a turbulent meeting and people were angry at the treatment of  Marian.  It was agreed that the Campaign should be strengthened and that the urgency of the case should be publicized. On the finest afternnon of the year sofar, more than 200 people came  to this meeting to demand justice for Marian Price, and a good many people failed to get in the door due to lack of space.  Among those attending were Marian’s sisters Dolours and Clare, her brother, and Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú.  Well-attended meetings had already been held in Derry and Belfast, and there will be a large event in Derry on 22 April next, at 2.30 p.m.  The Pat Finucane Centre  Derry based Human Rights Group -The Pat Finucane Centre have submitted a report to the Committee for the prevention of Torture highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses against Marian Price. Click here to read  it. Derry's World Famous Bogside Artists. This wonderful visual was given to the Justice For Marian Campaign group In Derry by the very talented Bogside Artists. It has been placed at Free Derry Corner. Write to David Ford the 'Justice Minister' to demand the release of Marian Price  Click Here to Download the Sample Letter Write to Owen Patterson British Secretary of  State and demand the release of Marian Price We would ask people to write to Owen Patterson the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We have drafted a sample letter with some pertinent questions. We would ask people to pass this letter to friends and relatives and enourage them to also write to Owen Patterson. Click Here to Download the Sample Letter. Hundreds attend public meeting in Belfast in support of Marian Price  Video Footage from meeting  Marian's Story: A Call To Action (1/3) from Spartacus on Vimeo. Organise, Agitate, Educate! (2/3) from Spartacus on Vimeo. Post-Panel Open Discussion (3/3) from Spartacus on Vimeo. The meeting tonight was a fantastic success, such was the size of the crowd that attended  that people had to stand in the corridor looking in.  Ongoing torture of Marian Price exposes cynical DOJ Public Relations stunt. To date the Justice for Marian website has contained news paper articles only. After talking with a family member today it has been decided that the public need to be made fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. On the 17th of February Marian Price was moved to the health care centre at Hydebank women's prison after spending ten months in isolation in Maghaberry all male prison. It is claimed this move was the result of 'clinical advice' given by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. Many believe this move was a knee jerk reaction to the increasing public awareness of Marian's plight, that culminated with a campaign meeting in Derry the night prior to the move. I have been told Marian's surroundings are far from clinical and the unsanitary conditions she arrived to prove Hydebank was in no way prepared for her arrival. The new regime she has been placed under is worse than she experienced in Maghaberry and would seem to be designed to de-personalise and further criminalise Marian Price. She is now being held in one of three observation cells at the end of a corridor. The area is screened from the view of other prisoners who call to the centre for medication. There are monitoring cameras in the three cells two of which are locked. She has been told that the one she occupies has had the camera switched off, she has no way of knowing if this is true or not. The area is very restrictive and cramped. There is no unsupervised access to fresh air. The "Health Care Centre" is staffed by a combination of nursing prison officers who carry keys and some agency personnel. It is NOT a hospital wing. We would urge those in a position of influence to visit the prison and look beyond the visiting area. Marian has a shower in her cell and without going into detail she has no privacy. A constant stream of prison staff enter her cell leaving her feeling like an exhibit at a time when she is feeling extremely unwell. When I asked for a description of Marian I was told she looks physically drained, she has suffered a dramatic weight loss and is very pale - she looks extremely ill. She is also very agitated and appears to be under extreme pressure. Not surprising really given she has endured ten months of what the experts have clearly defined as torture. To add to her hardship she is being constantly hounded to become involved in "activities" when she is so clearly unwell that she cannot. A written time-table of inane activities was given to her on Friday the 2nd of March which she considered insulting and calculated. This timetable is designed to dictate how she should spend her day from what time she should get dressed to what time she should read a book (Marian can no longer read books as she is unable to concentrate).It has been suggested to Marian that she can avail of the kitchen facilities to cook when the other prisoners are locked up. Marian's hands are completely deformed with chronic arthritis, therefore cooking is a strenuous a task not therapy. In what is quite clearly an attempt to humiliate her Marian has been told as a treat she can be brought to the kennels to visit the sniffer dogs used in searches. A very worrying aspect is the constant hints and suggestions of "interaction" with other prisoners. Family members witnessed this and pointed out to the governor the sensitivities involved. Marian has to constantly repeat that she is a SEGREGATED PRISONER and not a CRIMINAL. It is clear that this treatment is adding to the deterioration in Marian's health. It is obvious for all to see that attempts are being made to normalise what is evidently an abnormal situation. No-one appears to be taking account of the fact that Marian has been (and continues to be) held in isolation for 10 months. I have been told Marian feels like she is "in a zoo" with so many unwanted "visitors".She is isolated in an environment of constant interruptions which is totally unsettling. People arrive into her cell unannounced and the lack of privacy is degrading. The truth of this charade under the guise of a "health care package" must be exposed for what it is... a contrived public relations exercise to disguise the isolation and torture of a woman in need of urgent medical intervention. News Report on the Derry Public meeting.  Veteran Republican and Human Rights activist Marian Price has been in isolation in Maghaberry prison from May last year. Marian was arrested following an Easter Commemoration In Derry and charged with encouraging support for an illegal organisation after holding a piece of paper for a masked man. A common occurrence at Easter commemorations over the past forty years and one that until 2011 no one had been jailed for. On May 16th 2011 Marian appeared in Derry Court and was granted bail on the charge against her. As Marian reached the steps outside the court she was re-arrested by the PSNI. The basis for the arrest was that on the night prior to her court hearing the Secretary of State Owen Patterson signed a document revoking the licence Marian was originally released from prison on in 1980. It is an accepted fact that Marian's licence became defunct when she was pardoned under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy weeks after her release over 30 years ago. The pardon was issued by then Secretary of State Sir Humphrey Atkins and in effect wiped the slate clean for Marian Price. The British authorities have recently claimed that the pardon granted to Marian has been shredded. Whilst held in isolation in an all male prison Marian had further scurrilous charges brought against her and for a second time was granted bail. Despite this she remains incarcerated on the whim of a single politician. The reality of this situation is Marian Price is being held for offences committed nearly forty years ago that she was in fact pardoned for. This situation raises some very serious questions. What gives the Secretary of State the right to pre-empt due process? On what legal basis did the Secretary of State revoke a defunct licence? How can the secretary of state dismiss the rulings of two judges? If a politician can over rule the judiciary then why have a legal system? How can a minister unaccountable to the Stormont Assembly disregard the justice powers devolved to the Stormont Assembly? Why does the Northern Ireland Office continue to disregard a well publicised document a document they have never denied exists? A document they have recently admitted to shredding. How can one man be above the law? Marian Price has spent nine months in isolation in an all male prison, this is tantamount to psychological torture and in violation of her human rights. The ongoing incarceration and abuse of Marian Price needs to be addressed and opposed by people everywhere. Marian is Fifty seven years old and is in very poor health. This has rightly been described in the press as an act of political vindictiveness. The illegal detention and abuse of Marian Price... Not in my name! marianpdf.pdf Size : 60.309 Kb Type : pdf Owen Patterson Sample Letter.doc Size : 29 Kb Type : doc letter to ford.doc Size : 69.5 Kb Type : doc