Pitstop Ploughshares Trial Day 3
international |
anti-war / imperialism |
news report 
Wednesday October 26, 2005 22:23
by Observer2
The trial continued today of the Pitstop Ploughshares at Dublins four courts. A vigil is continuing each day at the four courts in solidarity with the defendants.
Comments (21 of 21)
Jump To Comment: 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1It's incorrect to say that Judge MacDonagh is a great-grandson of Thomas MacDonagh.
Shannon 5 Trial Day 8 - Jury to give verdict on Monday/Tuesday
by Court Reporter
The 8th day of the Pitstop Ploughshares trial at Dublin's Four Courts consisted solely of legal argument in the absence of the jury, mainly regarding whether the jury could consider a 'lawful excuse' defence in the context that the activists commited damage to property of another in order to save lives and property.
Deirdre Clancy, Damien Moran, Nuin Dunlop, Ciaron O'Reilly, and Karen Fallon have been charges on two counts of criminal damage arising from the their disarmament of a US Navy plane prior to the US invasion of Iraq, at Shannon Airport on February 3rd, 2003.
They face up to a maximum of ten years in prison if convicted
The judge presiding over the case, Mr. Donagh MacDonagh, who happens to be the great grandson of 1916 republican revoluionary and Easter Rising proclamation signatory Thomas MacDonagh, will make his ruling regarding whether the jury can consider the accused's defence in law, on Monday morning next (Nov. 7th) in Court 23 at 10.30am.
The jury will then hear (on Monday) closing statements from the prosecuting and defence counsels. This should take up to at least 3/3.30pm. The judge will subsequently charge the jury on Monday afternoon (hopefully) and send them away to deliberate on a unanimous verdict. If they cannot reach one they will be asked to return with a 10-2 majority to convict or acquit.
The jury have been asked by the judge to bring an overnight bag so the verdict will hopfully be in before noon on Tuesday Nov. 8th.
The trial has heard testimony from the five accused as to their honest beliefs for engaging in disabling the plane. The jury also heard testimony from Iraq war combat veteran Jimmy Massey on how he witnessed breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including the indiscriminate killing of at least 36 innocent civilians. The Genva Conventions Act of 1962 enshrines the International rules of engagement in war contained within the Geneva Conventions. Mr. Geoff Oxley OBE, a retired Royal Airforce Group Captain and military expert, explained to the court that logistics supply planes were a legitimate target in a time of war and that the decommisioning of a US Navy C-40A plane would initiate an unpredictable chain of events which would help save lives and property.
Former UN Assistant Secretary General Denis Halliday testified as to the destruction of Iraqi lives from the UN economic sanctions and how the US/UK engaged in a softening up process of aerial bombardment at least 6 months prior to the official invasion on March 20th '03. Kathy Kelly, co-founder of Voices in the Wilderness, a group extabished in 1996 to stand in solidarity with Iraqi civilians and to break the sanctions by supplying essential medications, spoke on how she met the five accused at the annual Feile Bhride peacemaking conference in Co. Kildare one week before they acted at Shannon and two days before she returned to Baghdad, Iraq.
The peace walk to remember the Iraq War dead, from the Spire to the Four Courts, will continue Monday and Tuesday next. We will gather at the Spire from 8.30am. The Peace walk will begin at 9.15pm or so.
All are welcome to participate. Placards remembering the victims of the war will be provided.
More details on the last 8 days of trial can be found at the following links:
www.peaceontrial.com
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72668
Consisted of legal argument in the absence of the jury regarding whether the jury could consider a 'lawful excuse' to commit damage to property of another defence. Judge MacDonagh will make his ruling on Monday morning next (Nov. 7th) in Court 23 at 10.30am.
The jury will then hear closing statements from the prosecuting and defence counsels. This should take up to at least 3/3.30pm. The judge will then charge the jury and send them away to deliberate on a unanimous verdict. If they cannot reach one they will be asked to return with a 10-2 majority to convict or acquit.
The jury have been asked by the judge to bring an overnight bag so the verdict will hopfully be in before noon on Tuesday Nov. 8th.
The daily peace walk to remember the Iraq War dead, from the Spire to the Four Courts, will continue Monday and Tuesday. We will gather at the Spire from 8.30am. The Peace walk will begin at 9.15pm or so.
All are welcome. Placards remembering the victims of the war will be provided.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72784
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72780
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72762
Court Report on the way folks. Be patient please. We don't have many personnel on the ground doing such work.
http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/11/7527.php
Keep the pics coming Elaine!! I always enjoy them.
But I also agree with Mark that more transcript court reporting is needed.
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72610
Thanks mark, had written a court report on indymedia.ie to accompany the vids but it had to be removed for legal reasons.It was basically the content of the vid.
In the absence of alternative court reports the
essence of the past three days are captured here:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72610
On Day Three:
Most of day three was taken up with legal arguments surrounding the permissibility of evidence taken from the shrine that the women defendants had set up around the damaged plane. There were also arguments about whether or not photographs of children who died during the "Allied" bombing campaign that were left at the scene of the "crime" could be shown.
These pieces of evidence are being contested by the prosecution. It is claimed that if these photos are shown it may be damaging to the state's case - even though it would be showing the truth of the situation on the ground in Iraq. The defence believes that showing the photos would present evidence of what was going through the minds of the defendants when they carried out their actions - namely, that they believed that they were protecting life and property in Iraq.
I hope I got most of that right - it's basically a transcript from the video left on radio.indymedia.org
Mark.
Great stuff Observer2. Thanks. Would be nice too if someone had some written information up about the trial. It's just that many people don't have broadband and downloading interviews etc becomes ODTAA (One Damn Thing After Another).
Thanks anyway.
re:Marks comment above
There is more info about the actual trial including daily court reports(videodocs)
at
radio.indymedia.org
I don't mean to piss anyone off, but hasn't there been enough photos published? I'm not sure that we need the same type photos of the same type people everyday. We know who is on trial, and now know that they have lots of support, but don't know what is transpiring inside the court.
Does any one know what is happening inside the courts? I'd write something but can't get to Dublin at the moment to find out myself.
Good Luck by the way.
For more info and daily updates check out
radio.indymedia.org a U.S based site.
Good luck and success to the 5 defendants and their legal teams.
apparently this took 13 hours to hand write all 2000 names....
download hi-rez version
http://alt.cimedia.com/ajc/pdf/luckovich1026.pdf
more info...
why.
Greeted the Pitstop 5 after court and gathered in a circle to get updated on the days events. Then on to St Pauls for a community meal.
Fr Martin Kelly And Ciaron - After The Days Session In Court
Networking
Damien Updates The Group After The Days Proceedings
Ciaron And Eoin Relaxing After A Long Day In Court
Good Grub At St Pauls
five
Pace
Only For You And Your Dreams
Per And Les, Topping Up The Tan
Sister Susan And Eileen
Deirdre, Sister Susan, Farah And Nuin
at the Four Courts
Two Opinions And A Suggestion
Prison Services Van With Carmen (Praying?)
Lost In Meditation
Conor, Justin And Etain
Buddhists Chanting For Peace
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