Conspiracy of Silence Exposed

deliberated and then again until the tribunal was convened, It only took four years! After all that, its a bit much to expect thal anything would actually happen.

The medical evidence clearly established that Jim Rafferty had been tortured, The RUC replied by attempting to smear him as an IRA member and as responsible for every unsolved case in Fermanagh. When they were prevented from doing this, the 19 police witnesses walked out of the court and on thei: return refused to testify. T' issue was referred to the Hi Court and by one of those coi: 1 ences so common in the North's courts the verdict was in favour of the police} The judge decided that the police authority nad the power to organise public enquiries and to call the police to them but not the power to force them to testify! Mr Peter Gibson said in his summing up that it was difficult to believe that the RUC had ever had any intention of testitying. In fact, their behaviour is a carbon copy of the 'conspiracy of silence! that met attempts to investigate the RUC ki of Samuel Devenny in Derry in l¥9o8. One final irony. The Police Authority has now received Gibson's report. record! view is that enquiry was public that its conclusion was, The ¢ son report is unlikely to see the light of day. Their ‘off the although the that doesn't mean >ib— The RUC haven't changed and neither has the legal system that protects them, If their British masters were to succeed in their attempts to criminalise the prisoners then the RUC would be given complete mastery of the campaign of harassment and intimidation in the anti-unionist areas, This is the force Haughey is collaborating with when he makes deals sign. with Thatcher — these are the gang- who have sters that he is bringing to Dublin when he attempts to enforce the Common Law Jurisdiction Act.

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