Birmingham Six case rejected
THE last legal avenue left open to the Birmingham Six was closed
on Thursday as the British House of Lords refused to even hear
the six men's case.
The six, who were framed for the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974,
have already spent thirteen years in jail, despite the wealth of
evidence to support their claim to innocence.
The House of Lords' refusal comes as no surprise to relatives of
the men and Paddy McIlkenny, the brother of one of the six,
Richard McIlkenny, told the thousands of people on Saturday's
anti-extradition march that it was to be expected. He said that
their decision was in line with Lord Denning's thinking that it
is better to keep six innocent people in jail rather than
question the British judicial system.
The six men's solicitor, Gareth Pierce, says that they will never
give up their fight for their release and to prove their
innocence. She points out that if more evidence comes to light
the British authorities will have no choice but to re-open the
case.
The dismissal of the appeal by the House of Lords has been
condemned by a wide range of organisations, many of whom
criticised the Fianna Fáil government's intention to extradite
Irish people into this corrupt legal system.
Phoblacht, Thursday 21 April 1988
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