Issue 192, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (April, 2003)

              saoi comoradh robert emmet aeus iri irish freedom the voice of the republican movement uimh 192 aibrean — april 2003 http://saoirse.rr.nu 1 70p stg usa 30 p.a amach 1803 bold robert emmet launch — see page 6 limerick 7 trial now rests on opinion set-back for state case • des long vice-president republican sinn fein and one of the limerick 7 seven men on trial in the special non-jury court for alleged member ship of the ira wok arrested and detained unlawfully by police who violated the safeguards of section 30a of the offences against the state act 1939 as amended in 1998 the men were arrested in limerick on december 1 7 200 1 and detained under an order signed by a police superintendent the men were released and then re-arrested on the steps of henry street police sta tion and charged with ira member ship i lowever section 30a as inserted by section 1 1 of the offences against the state amendment act 1 w8 states that a person may only be re-arrested for the same alleged offence under a warrant from a district court the 1 998 amendment was insert ed to prevent the police abusing their powers of arrest under section 30 giving judgment on the defence application that the arrests of december 17 2001 were unlawful mr justice butler stated in the absence of evidence which takes the set of circumstances out of section 30a we cannot but apply the section and we find there fore that the arrests on 1 7th december were not in compliance with the section it follows from that ruling that the evidence of pho tographs fingerprints and interviews following those arrests be deemed to be inadmissible there has been very little media coverage of the case — said to be the largest republican trial — but it is not surprising because the court decision was described as a set back for the state in fact ft only on the website of irelandon i.ine that one of the till lest reports appeared stating that i large part of the state case against seven men accused of membership of the continuity ira in limerick cannot be admitted in evidence " a source close to the case told saoirse that the court rulii serious implications for many other people arrested and detained under section 30 i he simple fact is the police did not adhere to the provisions of the amended section — and this amend ment was inserted to protect the con stitutional rights of people from con stant arrest by the police the fact that the national media have shied away from extensively covering this case indicates th the police have on the media — there is an unhealthy relationship between some sections of the media and the police who try to demonise people simply to advance their own c and gain promotion on this occasion the police have been found out and all their lies ruc/psni attack anti-war rai ¦*% • ruc/psni baton anti-war in iraq rally at belfast city hall on april 8 coverage of the imperialist war inside on pages 3 5 10 and distortions will not be lost on the judges — if there is any justice then all these wrongly accused men should immediately walk free " in his closing speech on april x in the green street court defence counsel peter finlay sc said the case against the seven republican sinn fein members was a garda driven prosecution inspired by a political da republicans know of course that even if all the state's alleged corroborating evidence is thrown out by the special non-jui court there is still the unsupported opinion of | police superintendent l inder this clause of the offences against the state act hundreds of people in the 26 counties have been convicted and imprisoned over the years it remains a means to intern republicans at the whim of the 26-county state meanwhile on april 10 the lat est british-imposed solution will be unveiled in belfast by tony blair on the fifth anniversary of the failed stormont agreement he will haw told bertie ahern beforehand what ft contains but his presence will be a mete ; • easter statement from the leadership of the republican movement — see page 7 inside honour ireland's dead wear an easter lily easter lilies now available 32.00 per 1,000 from peig king 29 all saint's park raheny dublin 5 e rone uomm