McAliskey - one year imprisoned
It is exactly one year today since Roisin McAliskey was arrested
at her Coalisland home and imprisoned on foot of an extradition
warrant from Germany. When initially cautioned, however, the 1996
IRA mortar attack on the British military base in Osnabruck,
Germany (the subject of the extradition warrant) was never
mentioned to her nor has she ever been charged with any offence
by either the German or British authorities.
d over the year of her imprisonment the evidence, mainly
identification evidence, supporting Germany's extradition claim
has been undermined.
international inquiry headed by former US attorney General,
Ramsey Clarke found that ``Germany has no evidence''. Four German
eyewitnesses have since said Ms McAliskey is not the woman they
identified at the Sandhatten house said to be a safe house used
by the IRA and work records place Ms McAliskey in West Belfast on
dates when she was supposed to have been in Germany.
These facts have not even been looked at by the German police or
the RUC. It has since been discovered that the extradition
request came not from Germany but was initiated by the RUC.
Only bailed to a secure hospital three days before the birth of
her baby daughter Loinnir on 26 May, Roisin's `ray of light'
faces the prospect of her first Christmas imprisoned by the
British. Roisin sits, rarely parted from Loinnir, in a secure
baby and mother unit in a psychiatric hospital in Kent. Too ill
to attend the magistrates' court and left in limbo, a cruel
ruling by stipendary magistrate Nicholas Evans leaves her unable
to fight the extradition order.
The Roisin McAliskey Justice Group which has published a newsheet
to coincide with Ms McAliskey's first year in prison have
highlighted the fact that Roisin was interrogated for six days at
Castlereagh interrogation centre in Belfast while pregnant and in
ill health. Her inhumane treatment in English prisons - the
solitary confinement and repeated strip searches. The lack of
evidence against her and the degrading and cruelty she suffered.
The group are asking people to ring the NIO - (01232) 520700 or
the British Embassy, Dublin (003531) 2053700 on Thursday 20
asking Jack Straw, as British Home Secretary, to intervene and
release Roisin.
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