Thursday January 01 1970
Shannon Torture Watch
clare |
rights, freedoms and repression |
event notice 
Tuesday July 01, 2008 15:41
by John Lannon
Monthly vigil to highlight the airport's involvement in torture and war
The monthly Torture Watch vigil will take place at Shannon Airport on Sunday 13th July from 5pm to 6pm. As usual the meeting place is the small roundabout before the airport.
Amnesty International’s recent report on renditions and secret detention shone a light once again on Shannon’s role in facilitating torture. Planes that are likely to be actively involved in illegal detention, “disappearance” and torture continue to land at the airport, but the Irish government, the Gardai and the airport authorities turn a blind eye. In some cases these are “civilian” aircraft; planes such as N54PA that landed at Shannon several times in the last month also included Guantanamo Bay in its itinerary. In other cases they are military planes, bringing hundreds of soldiers - and perhaps weapons of torture - to Iraq on a daily basis, contributing to an ever-worsening human rights situation there.
The monthly Torture Watch is an opportunity to demand accountability for what is going on at Shannon. It is also a small act of remembrance of those to whom we have caused suffering and pain through our airport’s involvement in torture. And it is a reminder to the authorities that steps must be taken to investigate whether or not Irish territory and airspace is been used illegally and against our wishes.
Come along to support.
(Amnesty press release and report is available at http://www.amnesty.ie/amnesty/live/irish/news-events/ar...=4522.)
Comments (3 of 3)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3LINK-Musician David Gray Protests the Use of his Music as in Torture in "War on Terror"
https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/402548.html
from Irish Times website today:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0714/...9.htm
earlier in year, 24 June 2008
Amnesty links Shannon to rendition flights
http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0624/rendition.html
UN to question Irish Government on 'renditions'
Alas, I actually arrived too early, as things turned out and, seeing no one, drove away about 4.30pm. A writer myself, I am very surprised that more writers and artists, especially from Galway, do not attend these vigils. The city is chocka-block with scribes of every sort - yet I see the same ones at vigils and demos. Surely the rest can't merely be shy! Any Galway writer looking for a lift should call me or contact me. Meanwhile, it remains to the same dedicated core of people in that city to get out in the street and in letters and make important statements. Naturally, they have their detractors.
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