CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION

PRESS BRITISH ON GASSING OF MAZE PRISONERS - IRISH GOVT. URGED

The Celtic League is pressing the Irish government to put further
pressure on the United Kingdom to clarify the incident at the Maze
prison in 1974 when defenceless prisoners were gassed during disturbances
at the jail.

The MOD has admitted helicopters dropped CS gas on the compounds but
has always denied using the much more lethal and carcinogenic CR gas.
Pointedly flight logs for the helicopters that operated on the day
have been 'lost'.


"Minister for Foreign Affairs
Micheál Martin TD
80 St. Stephen's Green
Dublin 2

Dear Minister,

What was the result of the investigations that your Department said
it would carry out in 2003 into the circumstances of the alleged us
of CS and CR gas against prisoners in compounds of the Maze prison
in 1974?

The Celtic League have over a number of years attempted to elicit
answers from the MOD and despite their insistence that they have no
record of the use of CR gas rumours persist that it was available
in N. Ireland and it was deployed against the inmates during the disturbances.

United Kingdom Defence Minister Adam Ingrams told us in February 2005:

"I am unable to provide the October 1974 helicopter flight logs you
request as such logs are routinely destroyed by RAF stations after
five years of the date of a flight. I have however, attached Annex
C to the Commander's Diary of the incident, which clearly states that
soldiers were assisted in restoring order during the disturbance by
"a helicopter dispensing CS".

Obviously the station Flight Logs (we presume from RAF Aldegrove)
would be invaluable to resolving the allegations over the use of CR.
Pilots would have to have logged all on-board munitions preflight.
Quite frankly it beggars belief that logs from this period have been
destroyed as in other enquiries we have made to the MOD over the years
(involving unrelated incidents) logs as far back as the 1960s have
been available.

We do believe the Irish government should press the United Kingdom
government to shed further light on these serious allegations.

Yours faithfully,

J B Moffatt
Director of Information"



J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

31/05/08


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

TEL (UK)01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609

Internet site at:

http://celticleague.net
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/





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