Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site sftig.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!mhuxm!sftig!jmg From: jmg@sftig.UUCP (J.McGhee) Newsgroups: net.legal,net.politics,net.flame,net.nlang.celts Subject: American Official Detained, Searched & Interrogated In North Ireland Message-ID: <614@sftig.UUCP> Date: Tue, 29-Oct-85 15:11:51 EST Article-I.D.: sftig.614 Posted: Tue Oct 29 15:11:51 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 07:42:39 EST Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Summit, NJ Lines: 144 Xref: watmath net.legal:2512 net.politics:11726 net.flame:12551 net.nlang.celts:257 In August of this year, Massachusetts State Representative Marie Howe traveled to northern Ireland on a fact-finding trip with Mrs. Marion McCarthy, an adminstrative assistant. On Monday, August 12 at 10:30 am, Representative Howe and Ms. McCarthy were traveling along the M1 highway from Armagh city to Belfast and were passing Long Kesh concentration camp, also known as "the Maze", which is a political prison. While passing the camp they took about 2 minutes of film with a Super-8 camera without stopping the car. About two miles farther down the road they were stopped by a mobile unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Four men armed with rifles surrounded their car. Another van pulled in front of their car with two uniformed RUC and two plain-clothes men. Another van pulled up behind their car and then another. Each van contained three or four RUC men, all carrying rifles. By now there were 12 to 15 RUC men surrounding their car with rifles aimed at the women. They were asked to show identification, which they did, using passports and drivers licenses. Representative Howe, who was driving, was asked why she had turned her lights on. She told the RUC that there had been some barriers along the road at construction sites where the road narrowed from four lanes to two and that she put her lights on for safety reasons. The RUC asked why they were taking "video tapes" of the camp. Mrs. McCarthy explained that they were using a home movie camera, not a video camera. The RUC accused her of lying and threatened her with arrest. Even after the camera was shown to the RUC the women were called liars and were subjected to a flood of verbal abuse. The two women asked if it was prohibited to photograph the prison, since they had seen no signs prohibiting it. The RUC stated that there were no signs and that it wasn't prohibited, but that it didn't matter; they could be searched and detained for 4 hours under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The RUC said that they didn't need any charges or any reason to detain the women; they could do whatever they wanted and the American women had no rights. Representative Howe also presented here legislative identification for the State of Massachusetts. They expressed contempt for her legislative office saying "We don't care who you are. You're in the U.K. now and you have no rights here at all." The RUC confiscated their passports and threatened the women with arrest, detention, strip searches and other punishments. Representative Howe and Ms. McCarthy objected to confiscation of their passports and asked to call a solicitor/attorney. The RUC were very menacing and told them: "Whatever foolish rights you might have in the US, you don't have them here. You're in the U.K." They also stated in a harsh and degrading manner: "We don't give a damn about the Helsinki agreements or any agreements with the US. They don't matter here." At this point a senior officer came over and said, "Take them over to the Maze, strip search them and search the car". Of course, the women protested the detention and were met with a flood of insults and degrading treatment. They asked again to call a solicitor and the American consulate, and were told that they would be allowed to call when they arrived at the camp. The two women went under armed guard with the car and the vans to Long Kesh which also has a British Army camp on the grounds. After arriving at the camp the women were held in a huge hangar building and were constantly guarded by three British soldiers armed with rifles. Three other soldiers searched the car, taking it apart, inside and out. Representative Howe and Ms. McCarthy repeatedly reminded the RUC of the phone call, but were refused the right to call anyone. They were even taunted for being so naive as to believe that they would be allowed to call anyone. Every time they asked why they were being held, they were told that they didn't need a reason or charges and that they could do whatever they wanted. This was all accompanied by a continuing barrage of threats, intimidation and harrassment. They were reminded ominously that they were isolated and no one knew where they were. During their detention every item belonging to the women, luggage, handbags, etc. was spread out on tables and on the floor and searched meticulously. The women's personal items were passed around and were made the object of jokes and sarcastic comments. The women were separated and each was questioned by four or five interrogators. They were continuously questioned about their travel stops, who they knew, where they stayed throughout their travels in England, Ireland or Scotland. They were also interrogated about their political views on both European and American politics. When asked what political parties they belonged to, the women said "Democratic". This was ridiculed and they were told that U.S. Constitutional rights were "nonsense". Representative Howe showed her interrogators her identification as a representative of the State of Massachusetts, but they ignored it. The RUC also kept their passports and confiscated all photographs and undeveloped film in their possession. They were told that it was an offense against the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to refuse the films and photographs to the RUC and that the RUC would keep any "subversive" films that they found. When asked what they meant by "subversive", they said it might have a different meaning than what the women knew or what their superiors would say. The women were threatened with arrest and were told they could be charged with offenses under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, but the RUC would not be specific about charges. In full view of all the RUC and British Army soldiers, Representative Howe and Mrs. McCarthy were body-searched by an RUC woman. Finally, one RUC man told them that this was really a British Army search. After repeated reminders the RUC finally said at about 12:30 that the American Consulate had been called. Representative Howe later determined that the Consulate had not been called until 2:15 pm. At 2 pm Mrs. McCarthy asked to call her children who had been expecting her call at home in Massachusetts. She was refused this call also which caused a great deal of distress to her family at home. Representative Howe and Mrs. McCarthy were finally released at 4:10 pm which was 5 hours and 30 minutes after being stopped. When Repesentative Howe told the RUC that this was was well over the detention period they said was allowed by law; they were told that they could be held for any period of time desired. One RUC man stated that in any case his partner would collaborate on whatever time he said they were picked up. In an official account of their detention Representative Howe stated: "We were very disturbed about their continuous mockery and contempt for us as U.S. citizens....and the democratic system in the U.S. They mocked our laws and rights and freedoms. They told us about the Prevention of Terrorism Act and other forms of legislation used to oppress the Irish people and told us that there were no rights 'in the U.K.', that they had the laws on their side and 'can do whatever we care to do'." "While our detention was a horrible and frightening experience, it was brief as compared to what is imposed on the Irish people every day of their lives, living in the military police state that is northern Ireland. The Army and the RUC work hand in hand to operate this police state with repressive legislation enacted in the British Parliament." "The detention period under the PTA is only the first step in an unjust, discriminatory judicial system that has been condemned and criticized throughout the world by reputable legal, human and civil rights groups and organizations. This undemocratic, oppressive judicial system is marked with detention and interrogation without legal counsel under harsh and brutal conditions...wherein a person can be imprisoned with no charges brought against them for long periods of time - 2 and 3 years, before an appearance in court before Diplock (juryless) courts using massive show trials. Interrogation methods of the RUC, Ulster Defense Regiment, and British Army have been condemned by international human and civil rights groups." "Long term sentences are imposed on people with no evidence and based on tortured 'confessions'. Due process of the law with a concomitant system of justice does not exist in northern Ireland and this police state is governed by repressive laws enacted in the British Parliament to destroy the fabric of Irish culture, tradition and custom and to dehumanize the Irish nationalist people." These facts can be verified by writing to: Representative Marie E. Howe Commonwealth of Massachusetts State House Room 279 Boston, MA 02133 "These people know nothing of democracy." -- Margaret Thatcher