TELL BRITISH GOVERNMENT:

DON’T EXTRADITE RÓISÍN!!

Eleven years have passed since Róisín McAliskey, daughter of Irish civil rights leader Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, was detained without charge, while pregnant, by the British government; on the basis of an extradition warrant issued by Germany in connection with an alleged IRA attack on a British army base in Osnabruck, Germany, in June 1996.  Róisín gave birth to a baby girl while shackled in Holloway Prison in London under extreme physical and mental duress, in conditions decried by human rights organizations around the world.

Last Monday May 21, 2007, Róisín McAliskey was re-arrested by the British government on the basis of a new German extradition warrant.  The British government had previously refused to extradite her in 1997 on the basis that to do so would be “unjust and oppressive”.  The Irish Freedom Committee contends that to pursue her extradition now would again be unjust and oppressive, as the passage of over a decade in time cannot provide the circumstances for a fair and just hearing before the courts.

Róisín McAliskey has always maintained her innocence, and no evidence has ever been presented that would conclusively link her to the base attack.  Shown a photo of Róisín McAliskey in 1997, a chief prosecution witnesses stated on German television, "No. Well, I did not recognize her. Is that her? I am seeing this for the first time." In the eleven-year interim there is little hope that Roisin can now obtain a fair and unbiased trial.  Practicing attorney and California-based Coalition of Irish Republican Women spokesperson Betsy Trowell has stated: “Despite her sound defenses to any charges related to the Osnabruck attack, Ms. McAliskey faces a difficult task if she is extradited.  The passage of time always makes it difficult to obtain a fair trial and to defend against criminal charges. Nearly 11 years have passed since the attack, and it will be difficult for Ms. McAliskey to locate witnesses.  People move, especially during such a long period.  Some witnesses may have died or become incapacitated or too elderly or infirm to testify.  The memories of witnesses who can be found will have dimmed and well may have been artificially shaped by intervening publicity and suggestive interviews by police and prosecutors.  These problems are quite common when there is any significant delay in prosecution.” 

Call the British Consulate in Chicago and ask that they not extradite this young mother of two to Germany.  Eleven years have passed and there was never a substantial case against her.  Please call the British Consulate TODAY at 312- 970-3800 and ask them not to extradite Róisín McAliskey to Germany on unsubstantiated and decade-old “evidence”.

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