Stephen Murney protest planned for Newry
éirígí will be holding a white line picket in Newry on Saturday 30th November to coincide with the one year imprisonment of their party member, Stephen Murney.
Murney outside Newry Court House last year
Murney, a former Sinn Fein man, was the Newry Spokesperson for Irish socialist republican political party Eirigi.
He was arrested in November of last year and has been in custody in Maghberry ever since.
He was arrested by detectives from the PSNI’s Serious Crime Branch investigating what they described at the time as ‘dissident republican terrorist activity’ in the Newry area. The 29 year old Derrybeg man was subsequently charged with the collection and distribution of information likely to be of use to terrorists.
Murney appeared at Newry Magistrates court on Saturday 1st December last year where he was also charged with possession of articles likely to be of use to terrorists.
Murney’s case has attracted debate near and far. Former Sinn Fein Councillor Brendan Curran and Independent member Declan Murphy stated that the charges smacked of ‘short term internment’ on the basis of what they described as ‘very dubious charges’.
His arrest and imprisonment also attracted the attention of several human rights and civil liberties organisation. According to éirígí a number of members of the Dublin Parliament have visited Murney in prison and have also attended a number of court hearings related to the case.
Speaking about the upcoming protest, the party’s general secretary, Breandán Mac Cionnaith told Newry Times, “An increasing number of people are of the opinion that Stephen Murney is being held on trumped up charges with little or no evidence and that, in effect, he is being interned by remand.
He added, “His family and party colleagues will highlight his unjust and ongoing imprisonment through this protest.”
Sinn Fein slam ‘short term internment’ of Eirigi Newry spokesman Stephen Murney
Letters to the Editor, ‘Newry Maghaberry prisoner Stephen Murney: The reality of strip-searching’
Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=37069
Posted by Newry Times News
on Nov 22 2013. Filed under Community, Politics.
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