Thursday November 30 1995

Support for escapers in `Frisco

A UNITED STATES federal judge rejected a bid on 21 November by three H-Block escapers whose lawyers had argued that extradition proceedings should be dropped on the grounds that extradition statutes are unconstitutional.

Before the court in San Francisco were H-Block escapers Kevin Artt, Paul Brennan and Terence Kirby. They escaped from Long Kesh in 1983 and were arrested in the US between 1992 and 1994. In their continuing legal battle against extradition to the Six Counties Judge Charles Legge ruled that the extradition law was constitutional but that the issue would be finally decided by a higher court. The men's lawyers confirmed their intention to appeal.

Referring to his defence case that Artt was on a loyalist death list lawyer James Brosnahan said: ``Are we going to send him back there knowing that there are groups there that mean to assassinate him?''

Artt, Brennan and Kirby have been denied bail and their supporters in San Francisco held a fast and vigil outside the City Hall beginning on Thanksgiving Day, 23 November and ending 48 hours later. They demanded bail for the men and the release of all Irish political prisoners. The protests was supported by a number of Irish groups in the city. Earlier this month the United Irish Societies in San Francisco had called for the release of Irish political prisoners and all-party peace talks. They also slammed the extradition proceedings in the 26 Counties against Brixton jail escaper Nessan Quinlivan who, with fellow escaper Pearse McCauley, was Honorary Grand Marshal of the 1992 San Francisco St Patrick's Day Parade.