The continued imprisonment of Derry Republican Tony Taylor demonstrates once more the undemocratic nature of British rule in the north of Ireland.
Tony Taylor is a former Republican prisoner, who was released on licence by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers in August 2014, after three years in prison. He had previously served six years in the 1990s and been released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
Since his release in 2014 Tony has been involved in legal political work for the Republican Network for Unity (RNU), including community initiatives and mediation aimed at keeping young people in Derry out of trouble. RNU representatives say that Tony Taylor has ‘spearheaded the revival of RNU in Derry’ and that is why he has been singled out by the British state.
The chair of the Free Tony Taylor Campaign in Derry spoke to FRFI to give us some background: ‘On 10 March 2016 Tony was on a shopping trip with his partner, his disabled son and his two teenage daughters. Armed police surrounded the family car and Tony was arrested and taken straight to Maghaberry prison. Tony’s solicitor has been told that he was returned to gaol on the basis of intelligence reports that he cannot see or challenge.’
Tony’s solicitor says: ‘It is argued this is a case of internment in all but name. Our instructions are that since his release from prison one and a half years ago Tony Taylor has positively contributed to local politics in Derry by peacefully raising benefit cuts, prison conditions and policing issues.’
Tony’s legal team contend that the decision made to recall Tony to prison was unlawful as it did not conform to either Article 28(2)(a) or 28(2)(b) of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order (2008), and that it therefore constitutes detention in the absence of lawful authority, which is contrary to Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the common law right to liberty of the person.
The pressure for Tony’s release is growing from a strong campaign led by the RNU prisoners’ organisation Cogús and the Free Tony Taylor Campaign. Tony’s partner, Lorraine, has spoken at public meetings about the devastating impact of his arrest and imprisonment on the family. The campaign has secured motions calling for Tony’s release from Derry City Council, Sinn Fein, People Before Profit and the SDLP.
Tony is also being subjected to harsh treatment within Maghaberry prison. He has spent two periods in solitary confinement, most recently for seven days from 30 June, during which time Tony was also refused medication. Tony suffers poor health due to shrapnel being lodged inside his body as a result of his Republican activity in the early 1990s and needs regular medication for this.
Cases such as that of Tony Taylor show how the legal system is still being used by the British state as a cover to intimidate Republican activists and remove them from the streets. This all fits in with the long term British strategy to pacify resistance to imperialist control of the north of Ireland. For nationalists in working class areas, the changes as a result of the ‘Peace Process’ are merely cosmetic; the harassment of Republicans and community activists will continue as long as Britain’s rule in Ireland lasts.
On 2 July FRFI supporters joined a protest calling for Tony Taylor’s release at Theresa Villiers’ London surgery. We urge supporters to keep the pressure up by writing in protest to Villiers’ replacement, James Brokenshire, at the Northern Ireland Office, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ.
Write in solidarity to Tony Taylor at: Roe House, Maghaberry Prison, Old Road, Upper Ballinderry, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 2PT
For more information go to: Facebook: London Supporters of Tony Taylor and Facebook – Cogús POWs.
Seamus O’Rourke
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! 252 August/September 2016
