IRSCNA: Free Dessie O'Hare Now!

national | crime and justice | press release Saturday October 22, 2005 04:24 by IRSCNA irscna at irsm dot org PO Box 8266, Austin TX 78713-8266, USA

The Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America adds its
voice to the call for the government of the 26 Counties of Ireland to
immediately release republican socialist prisoner of war Dessie O'Hare
from Castlerea Prison and we support the solidarity actions taking
place today in Ireland to highlight his case.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

22 October 2005
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America

Free Dessie O'Hare Now!

The Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America adds its
voice to the call for the government of the 26 Counties of Ireland to
immediately release republican socialist prisoner of war Dessie O'Hare
from Castlerea Prison and we support the solidarity actions taking
place today in Ireland to highlight his case.

Since 1988, Dessie O'Hare has been serving a 40-year sentence for
kidnapping, the longest sentence in the history of the 26 Counties for
any offence other than capital murder. He meets all of the
requirements for the early release scheme of the Good Friday
Agreement, which even the government of the 26 Counties recognises,
yet he remains imprisoned.

The actions for which Dessie O'Hare was convicted and sentenced were
committed before 1998 as part of the war against British occupation.
He is a recognised member of the Irish National Liberation Army, which
has been on ceasefire since 1998. Under the terms of the GFA, he
should have been released no later than 2000, yet five years later he
remains in prison.

Although the Irish Republican Socialist Movement doesn't support the
GFA, the government of the 26 Counties does. That same government has
repeatedly stated that the GFA is the only way forward, yet it refuses
to uphold the terms of that agreement where Dessie O'Hare is
concerned. It has also forced him to undergo psychiatric examinations,
something no other prisoner has had to do to qualify for early
release. Despite being cleared by the government's own psychiatrists,
he remains in prison.

The IRSCNA says to the government of the 26 Counties, enough of the
game playing. Uphold your responsibilities as mandated by the Good
Friday Agreement and free Dessie O'Hare now!

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Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
PO Box 8266
Austin TX 78713-8266
USA
irscna@irsm.org
http://www.irscna.org/
http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html