Guest writer Sandy Boyer with a piece on the treatment of Marian Price and role played by British Tory politician Owen Paterson. The author helps to coordinate the Free Marian Price Campaign, U.S. He is also the co-host of Radio Free Eireann heard Saturdays at 1pm New York time on WBAI 99.5 FM and wbai.org.
Owen Patterson, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, is directly responsible for the ongoing torture of Marian Price.
Last Thursday, August 16th, and again on Friday August 17th, she had to be taken from the hospital where she is being treated for pneumonia to the nearby Musgrave Hospital in Belfast. Each time she was not only handcuffed but handcuffed to a prison officer as well.
This had to be excruciatingly painful since Marian suffers from such severe arthritis that she can’t even open her hands. Her husband, Jerry McGlinchey, told Radio Free Eireann that she can’t take her arthritis medication because it would interact with drugs she is being given for the pneumonia.
On Friday August 17th the hospital put a tube into Marian’s lung so that she could be given an endoscopy and a lung wash under a general anaesthetic. She was handcuffed until she entered the operating theater and again as soon as she left it.
A prison officer insisted on staying in the operating theater the entire time Marian was being operated on. He insisted that he was following orders from the prison administration.
The hospital protested the handcuffs and the prison officer’s intrusion. The prison administration disregarded their protests.
Owen Paterson has the complete legal authority to free Marian Price because of her medical condition. The Life Sentences (NI) Order 2001 provides that 'The Secretary of State may at any time release a life prisoner on licence if he is satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist which justify the prisoner’s release on compassionate grounds.' Paterson maintains that Marian Price is just such a “life prisoner on licence.”
Marian was examined by United Nations doctors who reported she was 'unable to comprehend the being made against her to sufficient degree to inform her defence' and that 'she would be unable to follow the evidence in her own hearing as she lacks the ability to attend to detailed evidence.'
Both the prison doctors and an eminent specialist who has treated her have stated that Marian Price should be released and allowed to go home.
Despite this overwhelming medical evidence, Owen Paterson refuses to even consider freeing Marian Price.
Marian Price should also be released because rather than being “on licence” she received a full royal pardon – the Royal Prerogative of Mercy. Owen Paterson claims that this document, which would set Marian free, has been lost or shredded.
SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey recently wrote to Paterson about this “lost” pardon. He asked:
• Where would Mrs. Price-McGlinchey’s pardon have been held?
• How many staff are currently seeking the document and in what Departments?
• Are those looking for it doing so on a full-time basis, if not, why not?
• Has the NIO received comment from the judiciary on the apparent loss of the document?
• How many Royal Prerogative’s have been lost (or destroyed) that the Government have record of?
• Who is ultimately responsible for the care and maintenance of the building where these documents are kept?
• What communication have you personally had with this person/Department?
• Can you confirm the Department is still seeking the document and will do so until it is found?”
Paterson contemptuously dismissed Ramsey’s inquiry stating that 'unfortunately the RPM (Royal Prerogative of Mercy) was not recovered but has no bearing on current circumstances.'
Owen Paterson has placed himself above the Northern Ireland Assembly, which was supposedly elected to govern Northern Ireland, just as he has previously overruled the judiciary. Two judges have ruled that Marian Price should be released on bail. Each time Owen Paterson negated the judge’s decision and ordered her imprisoned.
Paterson is determined to keep Marian Price locked up. With the damage to her health, and the behavior of the prison administration, that is nothing but ongoing and deliberate torture.
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maybe Paterson's home should be picketed or his kids school. Or maybe Martin McGuinness' home should be picketted..
ReplyDeleteThat's a good idea Larry, but, then again, his body guards (diplomatic protection corp) would not hesitate to shoot first and no questions asked. Martin McGuinness' home could be picketted, but it wouldn't bother him.
ReplyDeleteitsjustmacker
ReplyDeletewell a dignified highlighting may do no harm. They are in an ivory tower in Stormont now which has replaced their ivory tower as 'untouchables' in the IRA leadership. The are about as useful as a bull with tits.
Larry.
ReplyDeleteIt would be more appropriate to say, "They are useless Puppets off the British", They, "The British", have internment back and PSF can do nothing about it, or, they don't want to do anything about it, so its back to the drawing board of the 70s/80s, They are testing the Irish People to see how much more they can get out off us, "Our Blood, Our Sweat", "their Tears" that's what it says on my Tee-Shirt.
itsjustmacker
ReplyDeleteThere's a chance more and more people are seeing it like that. The Brits could actually be closer than they think to snatching disaster from the jaws of victory. It's what they do best and it wouldn't surprise me as much as it would have a year or two ago.