Today The Pensive Quill carries a piece from guest writer Helen McClafferty in her capacity as Chairperson, Freegerry.com Campaign. It was written towards the end of February
On February 18, 2011, after almost 4 years of a politically motivated arrest and trial, Gerry McGeough’s case ended with a "guilty" verdict handed down by a British diplock court. McGeough is the first Irish republican to be sentenced under the GFA on troubles related charges dating back over 30 years. He is now in Maghaberry prison awaiting sentencing.
For several years, prior to McGeough’s arrest, he was living a peaceful existence with his wife and children in Tyrone until he decided to run in the Assembly Elections as an Independent candidate on an anti-PSNI platform in March of 2007. That is when Gerry’s life took a change for the worse and it has been a living nightmare for him and his family ever since. Gerry was arrested at the count center, following the poll, and he has been vindictively persecuted by the British crown ever since.
In contrast, the British government has operated a secret scheme granting royal pardons or immunity from prosecution to hand-picked ex-IRA members and Loyalists wanted for killings, bombings and other paramilitary activities. No members of the British forces are being charged or tried for their part in the 1969-98 North of Ireland conflict (the soldiers responsible for "Bloody Sunday" including those British/Orange forces behind the Dublin-Monaghan bombings).
In their obsessive need to prosecute and imprison Gerry, the British turned international political asylum refugee laws on their head by using as their chief “evidence” alleged political asylum application papers from Sweden (which are normally subjected to a 50-year confidentiality protection clause under Swedish law). The move was the first time such documents were used against a republican and now has widespread implications for the entire concept of political asylum.
To pretend that McGeough’s arrest, his almost 4 year on-going legal saga, and now his ‘guilty’ verdict, has anything to do with “justice,” is pathetic. He is being discriminated against for purely political reasons and there was a determined effort to railroad him into prison at the highest political level.
McGeough’s attorneys have filed a request with the NIO seeking a “pardon” for McGeough. People are being asked to contact their local politicians to ask them to ensure that the NIO treat McGeough equally, the same as others have been treated since the GFA, and grant him a pardon. For further details, updates and history on the case, please go to the ‘freegerry.com’ web site.
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Helen in a twist to all the political deals done re "troubles related actions,Adams mate David Ervine uvf /pup the man who before he shuffeled of his mortal coil refered to his comrades muderous actions as returning the serve,a great game that lasted over 30 odd years with countless lives destroyed well his position as spokesperson for the pup/uvf has been taken over by his brother Brian, well it now transpires that Brian is upset at the imbalance on the historical enquiries team,we are told that of 71 arrests to date by the HET all but one were of loyalists,even though 1,757 killings were carried by pira,he asks where are the investigations into pira attacks like LA Mon,Teebane,Kingsmill,Enniskillen and the dissapeared, he says"they say its because they cant get the evidence but sinn fein was riddled with informers,there hasnt been a prosecution of a shinner or republican"I think those in psf who have kept quiet in Gerrys case could come to regret their silence,and we still havent heard from the arch bigots like Frazer or Dodds,this whole scenario is a can of worms that is slightly open ,whats going to happen when the lid comes right of ?
ReplyDeleteThe loyalist's are in the news and paper's complaining that h.e.t have
ReplyDeletearrested to many of them- and they say that the others have more touts
its the big boys fault sir-
The mutt's in pup and helen both blame Sinn Fein for all their problem's- still it save's both of them from fighting a war.
Helen,
ReplyDeletefarce is an understatement
And now his sentencing is postponed because he was taken to an external hospital as a result of chest pains
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me to see how Gerry McGeough is being treated by the establishment and his erstwhile comrades.
ReplyDeleteThe inaction of SF brings to mind the words of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa;
"It is in that English Parliament the chains for Ireland are forged, and any Irish patriot who goes into that forge to free Ireland will soon find himself welded into the agency of his country’s subjection to England".