MICHAEL CAMPBELL RESTERA’ IN CARCERE FINO ALLA RIPRESA DEL PROCESSO
Respinta dalla Vilnius Regional Court la richiesta di scarcerazione di Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell, membro del Real IRA, dovrà restare in carcere in attesa della ripresa del processo a suo carico, che avverrà il prossimo ottobre.
La Vilnius Regional Court ha infatto respinto la richiesta di scarcerazione.
Michael Campbell, che non ha presenziato all’udienza, è ormai in carcere da 18 mesi, ovvero dal gennaio 2008 quando venne arrestato per contrabbando di armi.
Il dissidente si è difeso sostenendo che si trattasse in realtà di contrabbando di sigarette, quando venne incastrato da due poliziotti in borghese sotto copertura con il quale concluse l’affare consegnando una ingenta somma di denaro.
Alcune udienze del processo si terranno a porte chiuse per tutelare l’identità delle persone impiegate dalle organizzazioni di sicurezza statali, inclusi agenti del MI5. Il Lithuanian State Security Department ha affermato che uno dei testimoni potrebbe appartenere alle liste del Real IRA.
Real IRA man has custody appeal rejected in Lithuania (New Europe)
An Irishman accused of attempting to buy arms for a paramilitary group while he was in Lithuania had his appeal against being kept in jail rejected on September 10, Deutsche Presse Agentur (dpa) reported. The Court of Appeal in the Lithuanian capital upheld a decision by Vilnius Regional Court that 36-year-old Michael Campbell should be kept in custody until the case is heard in October. Campbell did not appear in person and has already been detained in the Baltic state for more than 18 months. He is accused of attempting to buy arms for the dissident paramilitary group known as the Real IRA. He was arrested in Lithuania in January 2008 after a sting operation involving British, Irish and Lithuanian security services. He denies attempting to buy arms and his legal representatives say their client was attempting to buy contraband cigarettes rather than weapons when he handed over a large amount of cash to undercover agents posing as smugglers. Some sessions of the trial are due to be held behind closed doors to protect the identities of individuals employed by state security organizations, including agents of Britain’s MI5 secret service. The Lithuanian State Security Department (VSD) has said at least one witness could be on a Real IRA hit list. The Real IRA split from the better-known Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1997. While the IRA has laid down its arms and joined in the Northern Ireland peace protest, the smaller Real IRA favours the use of military methods to try to end British rule in Northern Ireland. In the 1990s, many East European capitals became destinations for paramilitary groups around the globe looking to buy weapons. Large stocks of Soviet-era arms, plus officials open to corruption, created
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