'Kafkaesque' detention of Martin Corey, Parole Commissioners tell Assembly Justice Committee

Prisoners have been deprived of their liberty based on alleged activity that is never disclosed either to the individuals or their legal representatives

MARTIN COREY should be released immediately, Sinn Féin Assembly Justice Committee Vice-Chair Raymond McCartney MLA repeated today after Parole Commissioners told the Assembly Justice Committee that the revocation of licences on the basis of undisclosed ‘intelligence information’ is “Kafkaesque”.

Raymond McCartney said:

“A question posed to the Parole Commissioners today elicited a surprisingly frank response in that they described the practice by successive British Secretaries of State to revoke licences of former political prisoners on the basis of unchallengeable secret intelligence information as 'Kafkaesque’.”

The senior Sinn Féin figure said that these prisoners have been deprived of their liberty based on alleged activity that is never disclosed either to the individuals or their legal representatives. They are never interviewed by the PSNI in regard to any alleged breaches of licence conditions nor are they provided any opportunity to refute them.

“This is contrary to natural justice and an abuse of a person’s human and civil rights,” Raymond McCartney said.

“Sinn Féin has consistently maintained that if the authorities have any evidence of wrongdoing by any individual then due process must be followed and the allegations tested in a court of law.

“The British Secretary of State cannot be considered an impartial or qualified person to decide the circumstances whereby a person’s liberty should be forfeited.”