Tonight The Pensive Quill carries a piece from guest writer Helen McClafferty highlighting the ongoing case of Gerry McGeough
July 25
Urgent And Immediate Action Required
It has now emerged that the chief "evidence" to be used against Gerry McGeough in his trial under the discredited Diplock Court system is comprised of alleged Political Asylum application papers from Sweden.
The British claim that Gerry sought Political Asylum in Sweden in the 1980s and that they have now obtained his application files, which are normally subjected to a 50-year confidentiality protection clause under Swedish law.
In their obsessive need to prosecute and imprison this Irishman, the British are prepared to turn international political asylum refugee laws on their head. The move has widespread implications for the entire concept of political asylum and has now become a major Human Rights issue.
A central figure in this outrage is Swedish Civil Servant Helen Hedebris. Believed to be fanatically pro-British, this individual has been working in close collaboration with the RUC/PSNI over the years and is set to be the chief prosecution witness against Gerry when the Diplock trial resumes in Belfast on September 7th.
It is not clear that the Swedish Authorities were even aware of the fact that Helen Hedebris was working in such close collusion with British agents and supplying them with confidential Swedish government documents.
Please contact the Swedish Prime Minister's Office (see contact information below) and demand that the Swedish government intervene in this matter. Express outrage at the fact that confidential political asylum application papers are to be used as "evidence" in the discredited Diplock Court system in the North of Ireland. This action is a stain on Sweden's otherwise excellent record in the area of international Human Rights. Sweden must demand the immediate return of these documents.
Express disgust also that Swedish Civil Servant Helen Hedebris is to be the chief witness against Gerry McGeough when his politically motivated trial resumes in September.
We need a world-wide blitz of emails and phone calls to the following Ministers in the Government of Sweden: re ‘Gerry McGeough Asylum Papers.’
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
The Government and the Government Offices of Sweden.
www.sweden.gov.se/
Roberta Alenius, Head of Press to Fredrik Reinfeldt
Office work +46 8 405 49 04
Mobile cell +46 70 270 72 17
email to Roberta Alenius
Sebastian Carlsson, Press Secretary to Fredrik Reinfeldt
Office work +46 8 405 11 16
Mobile cell +46 73 769 22 77
email to Sebastian Carlsson
Minister for Justice
Martin Valfridsson, Press Secretary to Beatrice Ask
Office work +46 8 405 47 22
Mobile cell +46 70 274 10 22
email to Martin Valfridsson
Jeanette Mattsson, Assistant Press Secretary to Beatrice Ask
Office work +46 8 405 46 87
Mobile cell +46 76 133 41 55
email to Jeanette Mattsson
Anna Neuman
Office work +46 8 405 10 00
Carl Bildt
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Irena Busic, (Only journalists) Press Secretary to Carl Bildt
Office work +46 8 405 54 73
Mobile cell +46 70 271 02 55
email to Irena Busic
Tobias Billström
Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy
Markus Friberg, Press Secretary to Tobias Billström
Office work +46 8 405 57 96
Mobile cell +46 702 61 30 84
email to Markus Friberg
Markus Friberg, Press Secretary to Tobias Billström
Mobile cell +46 70 309 35 49
Eleonor Johansson, Press Assistant
Office work +46 8 405 24 03
Mobile cell +46 76 112 31 39
e-mail to Eleonor Johansson
August 9
The following simple question needs to be posed to the Swedish Prime Minister’s office.
To: ambassaden.washington@foreign.ministry.se
The Honorable Fredrik Reinfeldt
Prime Minister of Sweden
"Is this Swedish Administration going to permit Helen Hedebris, one of your Civil Servants, to act as a British crown witness in a politically motivated trial of Gerry McGeough under the discredited Diplock Court system in Belfast?
No members of the British forces are being charged or tried for their part in
the 1969-98 North of Ireland conflict (e.g. the soldiers responsible for
"Bloody Sunday", 1972), yet you are prepared to help in the persecution of Irish
Nationalists, thus causing further bitterness for another generation. Is this
Sweden's only contribution to the Irish Peace process"?
Thank you very much for your support. We cannot allow Gerry to be railroaded and used as a "scapegoat" by the RUC/PSNI and the British Government.
Helen,
ReplyDeleteI think it is all the more disappointing because there is a tendency to expect the Swedes to be neutral. Why they want to get involved in a case which is about anything other than justice is puzzling. They have no dog in the fight yet ...
AM,
ReplyDeleteIt is puzzling to all of us Anthony and to add insult to injury no one from the Swedish Prime Minister's office has even had the courtesy to reply to anyone's emails/letters/faxes this past month to even acknowledge receipt. The only one who received a reply was Martin Galvin because, as an attorney, he is helping out on Gerry's case. The letter was vague and the Swedish Prime Minister's office is passing the buck saying “it was the previous administration that released "documents" to the Brits”. That is why it is so important now that we demand that his civil servant, Helen Hedebris, not be allowed to testify for the Brits. Another disturbing element of this upcoming trial is that the British Diplock court system has imposed a media ban on reporting and Human Rights lawyers have been physically excluded from proceedings. Does that not sound like a kangaroo court to you?
Helen,
ReplyDeletecan't see what material witness status she could possibly have. Is she there to add to the bias? Is she going to tell the court that Gerry was in the IRA? Hardly a startling disclosure.
That a Diplock court is sitting for this case is a clear sign of the failure on policing and justice.
There is simply no need for this type of court for a case 30 years ago.
i see that gerry mcgeough is in two page's of the sunday world,
ReplyDeletehe says that he as secret documents
that prove that GERRY ADAMS was a memeber of the IRA,
mcgeough can not wait to give this evidence to the diplock court,
will helen now call mcgeough a tout
or like him accepting his assemply seat, will helen just follow blindly, again.