DUP Outrage And Hypocrisy Over Motions Calling For Release Of Gerry McGeough
Posted by admin on October 22, 2012
The Democratic Unionist Party is outraged with the recent motion calling for the immediate release of Gerry McGeough, Martin Corey and Marian Price. In particular, they have taken issue with the inclusion of Gerry McGeough in the motion brought before Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council by Sinn Féin and supported by the SDLP. They have also been very critical towards the stance taken by the SDLP in supporting the motion and the fact that Mr Brush, a former UDR soldier was present at the council meeting when the motion was tabled. The DUP leader Peter Robinson and his party colleagues Maurice Morrow and Arlene Foster now intend to table a motion in Stormont on November 5th in support of Mr Brush.
Their sympathies may lie with this former UDR soldier. However, it is important to point out that, as stated by Fianna Fáil TD Éamon Ó Cuiv “this is a lot bigger than Gerry because this in my view is a major step back for a peace process that Gerry bought into and that we all bought into and where we were putting the past behind us and building a better future for the young children”.
Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in1998, both Republican and Loyalist prisoners were released under the early release scheme. For many, it was a hard pill to swallow, but it was also a major factor in allowing the peace process to move forward. The Weston Park Accord was then negotiated and signed in 2001 by both the Irish and British Governments. Paragraph 20 of the Weston Park Accord dealt with a relatively small number of OTR’s (On the Runs) and ensured equality of treatment for those who were not in prison when the Good Friday Agreement was signed and would therefore not benefit from the early release scheme. It was also an effective approach to dealing with what has been termed ‘anomalies’ which might arise from time to time as each case was dealt with.
Although both governments agreed to implement paragraph 20 before the end of 2001, the British Government did not proceed with the matter until the issue of decommissioning had been resolved. When the legislation required to implement paragraph 20 was expected to be passed through Westminster in 2005, the British Government then attempted to include British State Forces in the legislation. This was unacceptable to Sinn Féin and the SDLP. Peter Hain, the British Secretary of State at that time, withdrew the legislation in 2006 at the request of Gerry Adams. The matter was then left in abeyance.
Gerry McGeough’s arrest and incarceration, at the behest of the DUP are a direct result of paragraph 20 not being implemented by the British Government. The fact that the British Government can so easily and so willingly violate an international agreement is a very serious matter and one which the DUP including Mr Brush have ignored completely.
The DUP is entitled to their opinions on the imprisonment of Gerry McGeough. However, if Peter Robinson, Maurice Morrow and Arlene Foster are genuine about justice being served on an equal basis, why have they never called for investigations into the murders of eighty-three innocent and unarmed civilians perpetrated by British soldiers, RUC, UDR and loyalist death squads in collusion with British Forces between 1970 and 1997 in County Tyrone?
What did Mr Brush do as a UDR soldier? Maybe we should call for people in Tyrone who came across Mr Brush manning a UDR checkpoint if they would like to bring forward any complaints they might have against him. Snow White comes to mind?
Gerry McGeough was charged and convicted in a Diplock court of having allegedly shot and wounded Mr Brush in 1981. That same year on July 9th 1981, Nora McCabe was murdered after being hit by a plastic bullet fired by the RUC. When Nora’s family applied for charges to be brought against the RUC officers involved in her murder and who then committed perjury in the follow-up investigation, Crown Judge Coghlin denied the application stating that too much time had passed and any charges preferred after so many years would be an abuse of process and dismissed. However, when Gerry McGeough’s case was brought before Crown Judge Coghlin, he began by first excluding from court representatives from the British-Irish Rights Watch and the Committee for the Administration of Justice and then proceeded to apply a different set of rules to the case of Gerry McGeough.
Have the DUP ever questioned this decision or called for those RUC officers to be prosecuted? The DUP should consider raising a motion on these issues and then lead the call for justice and equality by insisting that members of the UDR, RUC and British Army are immediately investigated and prosecuted and when found guilty of ‘historic’ offences perpetrated prior to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, they should serve their sentences with the possibility of applying for early release after two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Of course, the circumstances surrounding Gerry’s arrest in 2007 followed by three and a half years of continuous delays in allowing the actual trial to proceed raises many questions as to the motives for his incarceration and the credibility of the evidence produced, which of course included reading a chapter from a novel. Would any of the evidence produced and used against Gerry have been accepted if he had not been tried in a Diplock Court?
Gerry McGeough has already suffered two heart attacks and has six stents inserted. There have been a number of incidents within Maghaberry prison surrounding the administration of Gerry’s daily heart medicine, vital to his survival. These incidents can be verified. The most recent incident occurred on Monday 1st October 2012 and was not resolved until the afternoon of Tuesday 2nd October 2012. When these incidents occur, those involved in the process of having the situation resolved are well aware of the stress caused not only to Gerry and his family but to all those prisoners and their families who are regularly affected by incidents of medical neglect. Mr Brush and his DUP colleagues have never once shown any concern towards the medical neglect or treatment of Republican prisoners within Maghaberry or acknowledged in any way how stressful these incidents can be. Mr Morrow, a DUP colleague of Mr Brush on Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council has repeatedly attempted to discredit anyone who raises concerns over medical care, the living conditions or the overall treatment of Republican prisoners in Maghaberry. He has questioned the reliability of statements by prisoners who are either on dirty protest in Maghaberry or in the case of Gerry McGeough who is not on protest, but who finds himself in the middle of a dirty protest. Mr Morrow has never asked for prison video footage to be broadcast across the world. The DUP have never attempted to resolve the situation within Maghaberry and they have never raised concerns as to why, after the 2010 agreement, the dirty protest continues.
Gerry McGeough may be released after serving two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. However, when the British Government can so freely violate international agreements with impunity, can we really be sure that they will adhere to the terms agreed in 1998? If Gerry is not released after serving two years, will this further violation of an international agreement be raised by the DUP?
When politicians and public representatives throughout Ireland, America and Spain who would not normally be associated with Irish Republicanism begin to question and raise concerns about what is happening within the peace process or question the motives surrounding the imprisonment of Gerry McGeough and the abuse of human rights against many others, surely there must be something seriously wrong with the situation we find ourselves in. In their outrage at the council motion being passed, the DUP focus on the inclusion of Gerry McGeough in the motion and on the health of Mr Brush in dealing with a stressful situation. Have they raised any concerns about the health of Marian Price? Have they raised concerns as to how Martin Corey can remain imprisoned without trial since 2010? Did they raise concerns about the stressful situation Martin Corey and his family found themselves in when former British Secretary of State Owen Paterson decided on 9th July 2012 that Martin was not to be released as he was about to walk free? Martin’s appeal against this decision was due to have been heard in September. It has not yet been heard. Why? The DUP chose to avoid too much reference to the cases of Martin and Marian.
In their efforts to dismantle the Good Friday Agreement the DUP have consistently refused to dedicate themselves to reconciliation, tolerance, mutual trust and the protection of human rights for all. They will pose for the cameras and travel the world seeking investment. They will promote themselves as honest law-abiding decent citizens. But behind the fabricated tales of goodwill and the veil of deception and political myths is the reality of Unionist bigotry, sectarianism and vindictiveness as experienced, not only by Gerry McGeough and his family, but by many others, fourteen years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
The DUP have little to offer the peace process. They built their party upon the rants of Ian Paisley and they can only ever thrive within an environment of bigotry and sectarianism.
Damian Herron
Northern Chair Free Gerry McGeough Campaign