22 April 1999 Edition
RUC involved in politically motivated arrests
by Pádraig MacDabhaid
Claims that the arrests last week of four South Armagh men were politically motivated appear to have been vindicated after the four men were released without charge on Thursday, 15 April.
The four men were arrested and six vehicles taken away by the RUC on Tuesday 13 April. The media, no doubt running with RUC leaks, claimed that the four men were being questioned about the death of Eamonn Collins. Sinn Féin clearly stated, however, that ``no evidence or substantive allegations'' had been put to the men.
Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin Assembly member for Newry and Armagh, is set to raise the arrests and detention of the men with British Secretary of State Mo Mowlam.
Murphy says that if Mowlam listens to the recordings of the men's interrogations, ``as she is legally entitled to do, she will discover that no evidence or substantive allegations have been put to the men and instead, the RUC interrogators have spoken at length about political issues and about the peace process.
``This is a very serious abuse of power by the RUC and I will be asking Mowlam for an explanation''.
Murphy says the arrests were politically motivated in order to deflect attention from the UN Rapporteur's indictment of the RUC the previous day. He believes that the activity of the RUC warrants an inquiry.
This ``sham of an investigation'', he added, ``represents a very serious abuse of power by the RUC and I will be putting that to Mo Mowlam in the strongest terms''.
Claims that the arrests last week of four South Armagh men were politically motivated appear to have been vindicated after the four men were released without charge on Thursday, 15 April.
The four men were arrested and six vehicles taken away by the RUC on Tuesday 13 April. The media, no doubt running with RUC leaks, claimed that the four men were being questioned about the death of Eamonn Collins. Sinn Féin clearly stated, however, that ``no evidence or substantive allegations'' had been put to the men.
Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin Assembly member for Newry and Armagh, is set to raise the arrests and detention of the men with British Secretary of State Mo Mowlam.
Murphy says that if Mowlam listens to the recordings of the men's interrogations, ``as she is legally entitled to do, she will discover that no evidence or substantive allegations have been put to the men and instead, the RUC interrogators have spoken at length about political issues and about the peace process.
``This is a very serious abuse of power by the RUC and I will be asking Mowlam for an explanation''.
Murphy says the arrests were politically motivated in order to deflect attention from the UN Rapporteur's indictment of the RUC the previous day. He believes that the activity of the RUC warrants an inquiry.
This ``sham of an investigation'', he added, ``represents a very serious abuse of power by the RUC and I will be putting that to Mo Mowlam in the strongest terms''.