Courts denying Republicans rights
John James Bradley, a former secretary of the Irish Republican Felons
Club, has been fined 500 by the courts for exercising his right to
remain silent.
Mr Bradley was convicted of failing to comply with an order under the
Proceeds of Crime Act to give information to a financial investigator
appointed by a judge.
This is the culmination of a campaign of harassment carried out by
the RUC against the West Belfast club under the guise of an
investigation into the funding for the IRA.
Last week club chairman, Liam Shannon, was fined 200 for a similar
offence. Both men had refused to attend an interview as they believed
their answers could incriminate them on a parallel charge also in
relation to the Felons club - a move which Magistrate Harry McKibben
said he understood and why his solicitor gave such advice.
However, the Magistrate said ``here we have legislation for a clear
purpose and if it is to be applied in a meaningful way the offence
has to be dealt with severely''.
Bradley has said that he was considering an appeal as ``I was merely
exercising my right to remain silent''.
He concluded by saying ``I think this prosecution is just part of the
campaign of harassment by the RUC because of who we are and what we
are''. ENDS
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