The Five Demands

Pressure mounting on NIO for release of Marian Price (Newswire)
Pressure is mounting on the Secretary of State and the NIO for the release of Marian Price.
SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has pressed the Justice Minister on the continued detention of Marian Price at a meeting today where he further highlighted the injustice of her incarceration following the revokation of her license by the Secretary of State.
Mr Ramsey said: “I raised with the Justice Minister the current incarceration of Marian Price which I believe to be morally wrong given her state of health and the fact that she is being detained as a result of the Secretary of State’s action in revoking her license, a totally unaccountable act.
“I asked the Minister to commit to liaising with the Secretary of State on the issue, particularly that of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy which I recently raised with the NIO.
“This case is of paramount importance to bring a new level of confidence in how we deal with justice related matters. I made it very clear to the Minister that Ms Price’s health is critically important and that the stress caused to her and her family in relation to her care in Maghaberry need to be at the forefront of discussions between the DOJ and NIO.
“I want to make it clear that Ms Price should be released and I conveyed this to the Minister and his officials this afternoon.”
Dozens of people gathered in the Guildhall Square on Saturday to call for the release of Ms Price.
Rally organisers say 57-year-old she has been held in solitary confinement at Maghaberry Prison for eight months without charge and she should be released immediately. She was arrested after holding a piece of paper for a masked man at an annual Easter Rising commemoration in Derry, a few days later Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Owen Paterson revoked her release from prison on license.
Organiser and community activist Pauline Mellon says the public should be outraged that a woman nearing 60 is being held without proper charge in total isolation.

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