Issue 194, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (June, 2003)

              saoiffsc irish freedom the voice of the republican movement uimh194 meitheamh — june 2003 http://saoirse.rr.nu 1 70p stg usa 30 p.a comoradh robert emmet agus eiri amach 1803 four statues in us and ireland — page 4 show trial ends with one conviction aiolr-c cope ton bodenstown sunday 15 june 2003 assemble 2pm satlins co kildare • pictured outside the court on may 8 left to right joe lynch paddy kenneally robert mcnumara christy dunne ger brommell matt conwuy and des long the eighth inun put o\sheu received a four-year sentence taut :* $?**« r ftsatitifcewb fait®w*d if mim n sean 6 bradaigh • dublin buses for bodenstown depart from aston quay at 12.45 on june 15 the decision on may 8 of the dublin special non-jury court to convict one of the seven members of republican sinn fein whilst acquitting the other six on charges of ira mem bership brought under the draconian offences against the state act and based sole ly on the uncorroborated opinion of a 26-county police chief superintend ent is a travesty of justice despite having rejected the case brought against these men il was still intent on extracting its pound of flesh by convicting one of the men on the basis of evidence which was clearly discredited simply because of their political views this judge ment is a gross violation of the right to receive and communicate political ideas as set out in the universal declaration of human rights this three-month political show trial was the longest in the 3 1 year old history of the special court in its latest manifestation it is the product of an ongoing campaign of harass ment smear and felon setting directed against members of republican sinn fein by the dublin government and their political police with the purpose of retarding the growth and development of republican sinn fein and driving it underground both the british and dublin governments have staled publicly that it is their intention to crush all opposed to the stormont agreement and who refuse to be absorbed into the apparatus of british rule in ireland pat o'shea who was sentenced to four years by the non-jury special court is the victim of an on-going campaign of state harass ment directed against republican sinn fein a campaign aimed at criminalizing anyone who rejects the stormoni agreement and opf british rule in ireland he is in effect the sacrificial lamb in a case which was politically motivated and driven and which has cost the tax payer millions of euro such state sponsored harass ment will not divert republican sinn fein from earning out its normal political activities such as contest ing next year's local elections and promoting eire nua our pi als for a federal ireland the only sane and credible alternative to the ! and sectarian stormoni agreement our members and supporters will not be intimidated by this cam paign of coercion but will continue to organize and recruit throughout ireland putting forward the cont on page 3