Fermanagh Council to ask secretary of state to release Marian Price from prison

Rodney Edwards • Published 4 Mar 2013 22:24 11 Comments

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BREAKING NEWS

FERMANAGH District Council has agreed to write to the secretary of state calling for Marian Price's release from prison.

The IRA bomber has been in prison since May 2011 after appearing at a dissident republican rally in Londonderry.

She has since been charged in connection with the murders of two soldiers at Masserene in March 2009 and denies the charge.

At tonight's meeting of Fermanagh District Council, Independent Councillor Bernice Swift proposed that the council write to Theresa Villiers, the secretary of state, to ask that Ms Price is released "immediately."

"Marian Price is being illegally interned. As a woman, there is a blatant violation of her human rights. This makes a mockery of our peace process," said Councillor Swift.

"I object," said the Democratic Unionist Party's Bert Johnston, "She is a bomber." Alison Brimstone, also of the DUP, added: "I don't think the council should be writing to the secretary of state asking for anybody's release. Should Councillor Swift want to write to the secretary of state then..."

"I already have done," interrupted Councillor Swift.

Ulster Unionist Councillor Raymond Farrell said: "In relation to the Price thing, there are plenty of women who have had their human rights violated due to 30 years of terrorism in this country, like the mothers of the disappeared."

"We are totally opposed to internment without a trial so we will be supporting [the proposal]," said John O'Kane, SDLP.

12 councillors, including members of Sinn Fein and the SDLP voted for sending the letter to the secretary of state, while 10 members of the unionist parties; the UUP and DUP, voted against it.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 04 Mar 13

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telliott
1 post
Mar 4, 23:30
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Don't know what relevance this motion has to the Council area of Fermanagh, was this motion within Standing Orders?

Interesting that SDLP roll in behind SF again, appears to be pan republican front.

Fermanagh District Council becoming a cold house for Unionists. Republicans (including SDLP) continue cultural warfare against Unionists, just like Londonderry,Belfast and Newry.

Tom

Recommend? Yes 16 No 12
SaintPatrick
33 posts
Mar 5, 09:49
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Amazing how all these elected politicians have spectacularly missed the point. Swift thinking it's still 1972, Farrell prattling illogically about other women's rights being violated so why not hers and Bert "Where's Ernie" Johnston just proffering 'she's a bomber' as if that is a continuous state of being.

Surely the point is that Marion Price is being held pending her trial for involvement in murder, and she has illustrated that she is a danger to the public by helping to issue threats to kill.

The only logical conclusion of Fermanagh District Council's letter is to declare they don't respect the law of the land.

Recommend? Yes 16 No 3
gadfly
4 posts
Mar 5, 11:31
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When will these councils learn that they are there to run a county in an efficient and business like manner - nothing to do with politics at all. Leave that to the politicians and get on with your job councillors!

Recommend? Yes 17 No 3
Claire
4 posts
Mar 5, 17:45
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This is ridiculous.There is obviously enough evidence against her for her to be arrested so why on earth is the council getting involved and wanting her release ? They obviously have forgotten about the Poppy Day bombing in Enniskillen of which I was a victim of.She needs to stand trial and stay in prison untill this happens.

Recommend? Yes 13 No 2
DaddyPobbin
2 posts
Mar 5, 18:39
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I think people are missing the point, like why the SDLP and independents are backing this call. The woman hasn't been given due process, neither she or her lawyer know what evidence they have against her, if any, and she has had no trial to determine her guilt nor a release date. This is what we call in the Western World, internment.

It an affront too, to our devolved justice powers. 2 diplock judges have ordered her release and doctors expresses concern over her treatment. These have been ignored or overruled the Sectretary of State. They also lost her Royal pardon, the first time this has ever happened. This leads to conclusions of internment for political reason against her human rights. Her human rights were already once abused by being force fed in prison. Human rights are universal and apply to victim and criminal alike. Abusing the latter makes a victim of them, so they only have themselves to blame when campaigns like this dog them.

Recommend? Yes 5 No 8
DaddyPobbin
2 posts
Mar 5, 18:47
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In response to Claire, the evidence is not obvious but secret. They probably haven't forgotten Enniskillen, it was a terrible atrocity with a long legacy, for you personally and the public's conscience. So too was internment without trial, it's legacy lives on. The continual use of bombs and internment in the North is against what the peace process stands for.

Recommend? Yes 4 No 7
Claire
4 posts
Mar 5, 20:45
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I do actually agree with Daddy Pobbin on reflection.It is appalling that this lady has been held this long without a trial or stating the evidence against her.The councillors should be pushing for a trial date.Why has it taken so long ?

Recommend? Yes 2 No 9
SaintPatrick
33 posts
Mar 5, 21:32
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DaddyPobbin

You're not quite telling the full story here are you? Price is in prison because she bombed London, injuring 200 including a man who died of a heart attack. She was tried and found guilty. She was then released early on licence, i.e on condition that she behaves herself. She decided to ignore that and helped a masked man read out death threats, so her licence was revoked and she was returned to prison.

If her lawyers think she has not breached her licence they can go for a judicial review and bid to overturn the decision to return her to prison. But they have chosen not to do that as far as I know.

In a further twist she has been charged with another offence for which she may also get a sentence, though since she is already in prison for her previous offence it probably won't make much difference to her.

Recommend? Yes 7 No 2
SaintPatrick
33 posts
Mar 5, 22:30
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Correction - I understand Price's lawyers are now going for judicial review, relying on a Royal pardon. How ironic.

Recommend? Yes 6 No 1
Claire
4 posts
Mar 6, 14:29
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Yes it would have been helpful in the first place for us to have the full story !! She definitely should not be let out and it is so ridiculous what FDC are going to do ! I never comment on things but this really made me mad.

Recommend? Yes 7 No 1
ondfence
1 post
Mar 6, 20:42
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The problem i have with this highly interesting piece of a story is,the day politicians in this country stop calling names etc the sooner everyone will move on,the DuP have a stance on anything to do with the Ira and rightly so but she was released from prison for a reason,and that reason all sides agreed on,now wether or not she is innocent of her recent charges shouldnt matter to the way she is treated,no transparency,no real evidence,all of this gives a platform to so called dissenters who believe the security forces are unfair,which in the past have been,immensely?Every one has been treated badly in the past but how to move forward with backward thinking people who cant have a disscussion and sometimes meet each other with a happy medium,meet half way,the sooner the people who are supposed to run things grow up and show some maturity the sooner everyone else can take their example,they should be setting one!

Plus why cant they just release her and put a tag on her ankle?Especially if she is unwell.She is human like the rest of us regardless of her past.

Recommend? Yes 2 No 7

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