Since 13 May 2011 Marian Price has been in prison in Northern Ireland by order of the Secretary of State Owen Paterson.
The correspondence below, a copy of which has been sent to Queen Elizabeth 2, is self-explanatory
From: Justin Morahan [mailto:justinmorahan@gmail.com]
Sent: 05 January 2012 20:01
To: SOS Paterson
Subject: TRIM: unjust imprisonment without trial
Dear Secretary of State Mr Owen Paterson
As a pacifist who has publicly opposed, written against and picketed
against violence throughout "the troubles", I write to express my
serious concern regarding the continuing and prolonged internment
without trial of Ms Marian Price, also known by her married name of
Marion McGlinchey.
I believe that there is no justification for the internment of Ms
Price and that the reasons given by your office are spurious. You
told the BBC that
"The
threat posed by her had significantly increased"
Ms Price remains
uncharged in an
all male prison, while her health deteriorates slowly but surely.
Her re-association with prison after thirty years of freedom has for
her revived horrific nightmares connected with the inhumane
treatment visited on her (and others).
As you know she was subjected, while in prison on hunger strike, to
the practice of
force feeding for 167 days of her 200 day incarceration.
In
1980 she received the Royal Prerogative of Mercy and was freed
on humanitarian grounds. Your recent decision to re-imprison her
appears to fly in the face of this Royal pardon. As a result, I will
be forwarding a copy of this e-mail to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II.
If you believe that Ms Price has committed a crime you should charge
her. Otherwise she must be released or you and your Office are, in
my opinion, open to a charge of inhuman treatment of a human being.
Allow me to reiterate that I am in no way associated with Ms Price,
the 32 County Sovereignty Movement, or any republican paramilitary
group or party. I am totally opposed to violence from whatever
quarter. I am making this request as a human rights activist in the
interests of what I believe to be fair and right and just and
humane.
My hope is that you will respond in like manner.
With best personal wishes
Justin Morahan
REPLY FROM SOS
PATERSON
[DATE: 9 jJanuary 2012]
Dear Mr Morahan,
Please see attached
response in relation to your correspondence below.
Yours Sincerely,
Michelle
Secretary of State's
Private Office
"NIO Northern Ireland Office
Stormont House
Avenue
Stormont Estate
Belfast BT 4 3SG
Telephone: 028 90527013
Justin Morahan
justinmorahan@gmail.com
Dear Mr Morahan
Ms
Marion Price
Thank you for
your email to the Secretary of State of 5 January 2012 in which
you
express concern about the continued detention of Marian
Price.
Marion Price received two concurrent terms of life
imprisonment in November 1993 for two convictions of causing an
explosion. She also received a determinate sentence of 20 years
for conspiracy to cause an explosion. She was released on
licence on 30 April 1980 in relation to the two life sentences.
On 6 May 1980 she was awarded the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in
respect of her determinate sentence only. Life sentenced
prisoners remain on licence for life and are subject to recall
at any
time.
Marion Price's licence was revoked following a
recommendation from the Parole Commissioners that it was
necessary
for the protection of the public from serious harm. It is
regrettable that such action was necessary, but the Secretary of
State's priority is the protection of the public. Those released
on
licence have a responsibility to act within the terms of their
release, and where their actions show they pose a risk of harm
to the
public, the law provides that their licence be revoked."
[The
above response was unsigned]
REPLY TO SOS PATERSON
[date 25 January 2012]
Re: Marion
Price's continued unjust imprisonment without trial
Dear Mr Paterson
Thank you for your reply, e-mail dated 9 January 2012, to my email
of 5 January 2012 with an attached scanned response which latter,
though directed to me, was unsigned.
I refer to my previous e-mail and all of its contents re my
concern as a human rights activist for Ms Marion Price's health,
re her imprisonment without trial, re the Royal Prerogative of
Mercy she received (in 1980) and also re my own lack of connection
to any group with which Ms Price is or has been affiliated.
For purposes of keeping a record, I have typed and copied the
unsigned response and am forwarding same to you with a pasted copy
of your reply in a separate e-mail. I also propose to forward all
relevant copies to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Three points in the response give cause for concern.
1. You state that on 6 May 1980, Ms Price was awarded the Royal
Prerogative for Mercy "
in respect of her determinate sentence
only".
I understand however that this document is not available for
inspection. Her lawyers would naturally need to be convinced that
it was indeed in respect of that sentence only.
Why should it not be available when its date is known to you? Has
this Royal document concerning the freedom of a living person been
sabotaged, stolen or destroyed? If any of these has happened, it
would represent a serious denial of justice to Ms Price, as her
liberty depends on its contents.
Has the disappearance of this important Royal document been
investigated and if so what has been the result of the
investigation? If not, there remains a serious denial of Ms
Price's rights to imprison her now without carrying out such an
investigation.
2. You also say that her licence was revoked
"following a
recommendation from the Parole Commissioners that it was
necessary for the protection of the public from serious harm".
Again, such a recommendation would certainly not be made in the
face of a Royal Prerogative to the contrary. The unavailability
of this important document awarding the Royal Prerogative to Ms
Price is most regrettable. Its absence is a material fact pointing
to an injustice perpetrated on Ms Price.
If the Royal Prerogative is in respect of both of her
convictions, then manifestly the Parole Commissioners would have
erred and would have no power to advise you to incarcerate her
without trial. Nor would you have power to act on such a
recommendation. However, as the document is unavailable for
inspection, these crucial factors cannot be determined, possibly
in her favour.
Besides, what "serious harm" was she threatening on the public?
If there were such, why is the public not being told, or Ms Price
being charged with an offence?
The basis for the recommendation made by the Parole Commissioners
is murky and far from clear.
3. You conclude that "
Those released on licence have a
responsibility to abide within the terms of their release, and
where their actions show they pose a risk of harm to the public,
the law provides that their licence be revoked."
There is no evidence adduced in a court of law, or made public by
the Parole Commissioners, to suggest that Ms Price's actions posed
a risk of harm to the public. From my understanding of events,
when she appeared before the court, she was released on bail, but
this release was thwarted by her immediate re-arrest.
No charge has been made following this re-arrest.
The whole picture does not add up to one reflecting the impartial
exercise of clear, transparent or just law. It is a return to the
horrific and unjust practice of internment without trial
Meanwhile, as I have already written, Ms Price's health
deteriorates and is a cause of further concern. The terror her
new sojourn in prison has brought to mind after the horrific
torture she endured by being
force fed for
167 days of her 200 day hunger strike can only be imagined.
Re-imprisonment without trial in such circumstances must amount to
cruel and inhumane treatment at the very least.
I urge you again on humanitarian grounds and on the grounds of
justice and fair play either to bring charges against Ms Price
immediately or release her forthwith.
With best personal wishes
Justin Morahan
Pacifist and Human Rights Activist
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Second Reply from SOS
Paterson
[Date 13 February
2012]
Dear Mr Morahan,
Please see attached response
in relation to your recent correspondence to the Secretary of
State for Northern Ireland.
Yours Sincerely,
Michelle
Michelle Kane
Secretary
of State's Private Office
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"NIO Northern Ireland Office
Stormont House
Avenue
Stormont Estate
Belfast BT 4 3SG
Telephone: 028 90527013
Justin Morahan
justinmorahan@gmail.com
NIO Northern
Ireland Office
Stormont House
Avenue Stormont Estate
Belfast
BT4 3SG
Tel 02890527013
Justin
Morahan
justinmorahan@gmail.com
Dear Mr Morahan
Ms
Marion Price
Thank you for your e-mail to the
Secretary of State of 22 January 2012. Please accept my
apology for
the omission of a signature on the response to your
previous e mail.
You may already be aware that the Parole Commissioners
issued
a ruling on 30 January 2012 regarding the issue of the
Royal
Prerogative of Mercy relating to Ms McGlinchey.
Following
representations from lawyers acting for Secretary of
State and Ms
McGlinchey, the panel concluded that Ms McGlinchey was
released on
licence.
The Parole Commissioners will now convene a hearing
on the issue of whether Ms McGlinchey is a risk to the
public
and if her licence should remain revoked. As part of
this
process, the Commissioners will consider the evidence
put forward by
the Secretary of State for the revocation of Ms
McGlinchey's
licence. Ms McGlinchey's lawyers will have the
opportunity to
make representations on her behalf.
Yours sincerely
[squiggle
illegible]
on
behalf
of the Secretary of State
As there was no other link for a direct e-mail on general matters, I am doing two jobs with the one e-mail
1) Letting you know that there is no other way to contact you - a fault of the website
2) I am asking you to request the President to intervene in the Bradley Manning trial to have Bradley released immediately.
Whistle-blowers are an absolute necessity for a democratic and just society. They should be protected by law whenever they expose wrongdoing
Whistle-blowers who expose a war crime, as Bradley has done, should be protected and honoured by any President who believes in a just society. The link [below] shows that war crime clearly in Iraq. Bradley was a witness. Innocent people were mowed down from a United States helicopter and Bradley Manning was a witness to that war crime. He did the right thing and became a whistle-blower. President Obama must release him.
It is shameful that Bradley Manning has been tortured in prison and that the President has broken all rules of fairness by declaring Bradley guilty before his case was heard by a court.
It is also shameful and treacherous that the people of the United States have been unable to see the shocking video that can be seen everywhere else in the world.
I am requesting you to ask President Obama to do the right thing now and release this brave man.
With best personal wishes
Justin Morahan
Human rights activist and pacifist