30.11.03
Relief for Irish Deportees and Political Prisoners in the US Petition
**Please click on above link to view and sign the petition. This is what it says:
To: The United States Congress, President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft
On behalf of Malachy McAllister, Ciarán Ferry, Paul Harkin, John McNicholl (deported 7/18/2003) and any other Irishmen in the United States that is seeking asylum or is under arrest or is threatened with imminent deportation, or is being hounded or threatened in any way by the United States government, or has come here to visit or to participate in a family gathering or event and has now been detained and threatened with a Draconian sentence we, the undersigned, respectfully request that you cease and desist immediately. Your actions, while creating the illusion that you’re combating terrorism, actually does harm to the very cause that you champion by diverting valuable manpower to pursue those who come here to escape the institutionalized sectarianism and hatred of Catholics in The North of Ireland. They come here to build a better life for themselves and their progeny and to, ultimately, build up the United States. They are not enemies of the United States, nor are they terrorists who seek to harm Americans or American interests.
Furthermore, continued pursuit of these individuals, coupled with the new, revised, but as yet unratified extradition treaty between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, can only be viewed as a transparent attempt to court favor with the British government and the Queen of England.
Many of these individuals were convicted by a British Diplock court, an invention of the British state, designed to maximize the conviction rate of Irish political defendants. These courts were complete with case-hardened judges and sealed court rooms. A defendant who found themselves at the mercy of such a court had inadequate or non-existent legal representation and was subjected a juryless trial. These courts stood in direct contravention of the presumption of innocence standard that is the hallmark of a fair and impartial judicial system, one that we’re used to here in America. Many of these individuals were released in accordance with the letter and spirit of the almost-dead, 1998 Good Friday Agreement, brokered, in large part, by the United States, the very country that now seeks their deportation and ultimate demise at the hands of still-active Loyalist paramilitary organizations.
Sincerely,
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**Please click on above link to view and sign the petition. This is what it says:
To: The United States Congress, President Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft
On behalf of Malachy McAllister, Ciarán Ferry, Paul Harkin, John McNicholl (deported 7/18/2003) and any other Irishmen in the United States that is seeking asylum or is under arrest or is threatened with imminent deportation, or is being hounded or threatened in any way by the United States government, or has come here to visit or to participate in a family gathering or event and has now been detained and threatened with a Draconian sentence we, the undersigned, respectfully request that you cease and desist immediately. Your actions, while creating the illusion that you’re combating terrorism, actually does harm to the very cause that you champion by diverting valuable manpower to pursue those who come here to escape the institutionalized sectarianism and hatred of Catholics in The North of Ireland. They come here to build a better life for themselves and their progeny and to, ultimately, build up the United States. They are not enemies of the United States, nor are they terrorists who seek to harm Americans or American interests.
Furthermore, continued pursuit of these individuals, coupled with the new, revised, but as yet unratified extradition treaty between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, can only be viewed as a transparent attempt to court favor with the British government and the Queen of England.
Many of these individuals were convicted by a British Diplock court, an invention of the British state, designed to maximize the conviction rate of Irish political defendants. These courts were complete with case-hardened judges and sealed court rooms. A defendant who found themselves at the mercy of such a court had inadequate or non-existent legal representation and was subjected a juryless trial. These courts stood in direct contravention of the presumption of innocence standard that is the hallmark of a fair and impartial judicial system, one that we’re used to here in America. Many of these individuals were released in accordance with the letter and spirit of the almost-dead, 1998 Good Friday Agreement, brokered, in large part, by the United States, the very country that now seeks their deportation and ultimate demise at the hands of still-active Loyalist paramilitary organizations.
Sincerely,
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