Dutch complicity
International Viewpoint 8 December 1986
This state of affairs can be seen today at Sandoz. Worse still, the confederal and cantonal institutions lack the necessary means and information to make such an accounting. Represen-
Ernest Zugger had the
IRELAND ting
Sandoz, gall to say that independent inspec tion of the chemical firms is virtually with British repression impossible technically. The American example alone is sufficient to refute this. But worst of all he had the effrontery to claim that such a regulatory agency would cost the taxpayers dear! As if pollution does not cost
ON OCTOBER 21, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that Brendan them anything, as if the profits of the chemical industry were not enough
McFarlane and Gerry Kelly, two escapees from Northern Ireland's to finance a genuine independent
Maze Prison, could be extradited. (1) In effect, it put the decision inspection!
in the hands of the minister for justice.
The mechanisms themselves of producing intermediate toxie products
Because of the court's recommendation that the minister seek lead to increasing the dangers. A line guarantees that the prisoners would not be ill-treated, it was generally of research needs only be expected that the actual handing over of the two could be delayed.
result of the past research piles up in the form of toxic waste.
However, the minister announced within a matter of weeks that the making two would be turned over to the British authorities. It is urgent that mediate products needs only to see there is an international protest against this decision. Letters and its orders decrease, either conjuncturtelegrams can be sent to Korthes Altes, Ministry for Justice, PO residues build up. The list of examples
Box 20301, 2500 EH Den Haag, The Netherlands.
The following article is from the November 28 issue of Klassen-
Imagine only, to get a concrete strijd, the paper of the Dutch section of the Fourth International.
picture of the problem, that all the cars junked or kept in storerooms were highly toxic products, poorly looked after and poorly put away but with clearly identifiable dangers for the population.
Some would say that efforts are being made now to get better looked after disposal sites for toxic waste. That is partially true. But one figure alone is enough to show the limits of the measures taken in countries that are much more advanced in this field than
Switzerland.
For example, in the United States in 1983, the Environmental Protection Agency judged that only 35 of the 275 tons of products toxic produced annually came under its purview. (9)
Finally, everyone thinks that it is normal that before a medicine goes on sale, a state institution, independent if possible of the pharmaceutical industry, gives the go-ahead. But for thousands of highly toxic intermediate products put on the market
(if only on the inter-enterprise market)
such precautions do not exist. That is another feature of the capitalist chemicals scandal.
The Basle accident poses at once the problem of the procedures for invention and fabrications of chemical products, of their social, economic, and ecological utility for humanity
(and a number are useful in the present historical stage), and of effective social control over the firms, activities of the chemicals of safety and protection measures.
9. J. Elkington, op. cit.
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KAREL TEN HAAF
The two IRA men arrested in the Netherlands, Gerry Kelly and Brendan MeFarlane, can be handed over to the British authorities, accord ing to the decision of the Supreme Court. The defence's political objections were rejected.
Of course, the court advised the minister of justice to ask for guarantees from Britain that Kelly and McFarlane would be treated humanely. But the ministers rejected this advice.
In the parliament's standing committee on justice, a majority represented by the Christian Democrats
[free-enterprise] Liberals agreed with the minister's decision.
Van Bennekom, Kelly and McFarlane's lawyer, has instituted summary proceedings. In this way, he is trying to force the minister to ask for guarantees and to wait for a decision from the European Court of Human Rights on this affair.
In his presentation, Van Beenekom systematically pointed out the political character of the struggle the IRA is waging in the North of Ireland. The law on extradition includes a ban on extraditing people for political crimes. Britain called for extradition on the basis of alleged crimes committed by Kelly and McFarlane during their escape from the Maze prison on September 25, 1983. Mentioned in the extradition request were the murder of a guard and grievous bodily harm to four other guards, as well as wrongful imprisonment some people.
As regards the alleged murder of a guard, the facts are clear. The autopsy report shows that the guard died from a hart attack. As a man with serious coronary problems, he was in fact unsuited to the job.
As for the charge of causing grievous bodily harm, from the statements of three of the four wounded guards there is no proof of any kind that either Kelly or McFarlane caused these wounds. In the case of the fourth guard, there is evidence that grievous bodily harm was inflicted on him by Kelly.
Did the British authorities in their extradition request refer to this as an attempted murder because this was the only case in which it could be shown that one of the two IRA
Netherlands wounded a guard? The truth, however, is different from what the British authorities would have us
The plan of the escape called for subduing people who jeopardized the breakout. Guard John Adams put the success of the escape in danger. So, he was subdued.
On the wrongful imprisonment of
See articles in 'International
Viewpoint' No. 108, November 10, 1986.
some people, the fact that this was necessary for the success of the escape is shown clearly by the unfolding of the operation. (This is recounted in the interview Brendan McFarlane gave to Derek Dunne in Amsterdam and which was published in the April issue of the Dublin Maga-
"On Sunday, McFarlane and nerve center, the "Circle" The guards in A, B, C and D wings were overpowered. One of the guards made an attempt to push the alarm button, and was shot down. The were stripped and some of the prisoners put their uniforms on. marked 'guards' and was let through. The plan was to take over all the doors one after the other and station the IRA prisoners there
They seized a food delivery from the truck would take prisoner any guard who got in the way. In the however, there was too much coming of guards. One of them away. Two cars stopped in front of the truck. Skirmishes occurred and some were knocked down.
*The IRA prisoners pretended to give up. Tempers calmed. Then they fence. In confusion, the army was unable to dressed as guards, and guards dressed civilian clothing were highjacked soon as they reached the road. Ninea guard, led seven men to the road, commandeered three cars away in the direction of Moira." [Retranslated from Dutch.]
That the escape was a political act is shown by the fact that the IRA men who escaped and managed to stay out of the hands of the police all continued the struggle against the imperialist yoke Their objective in escaping was to continue the struggle. It is disgusting to see a so-called unpartisan body the Supreme Court reject argument of the defence that this was a political case.
judgement stemmed unwillingness self-defence fore to condemn Britain's imperialist opportunity to gratify a "friendly
International Viewpoint 8 December 1986 state" should surprise no one. did not want to recognize the offences as political, it was convinced store for Kelly reason, it advised minister to ask for special
English authorities (without however specifying what minister rejected this advice. Grave physical dangers facing Kelly and McFarlane
This recommendation to get guarantees about the treatment of the IRA men from the British FROM JIMMY BURNS' LETTER: WHEN I was brought back to the Maze with the other recaptured tion" by the guards. While we were taken out of the prison van one by we were set upon by various They systematically clubbed us to German Shepherd dogs on us, and then pulled them back at the last minute, just before the beasts got a chance to bite us. I was beaten over my head, neck, arms, back and legs and kicked. Then I was dragged to the reception where I was verbally abused and ment, and even with death.
I was beaten again, but not so hard, because the prison doctor and the head of the medical service were present. After me, I was taken to the locked in, I was beaten again. My head was repeatedly banged against and I was again kicked and punched. That is just
You might object that tempers were heated and emothis happened six
Until that time, authorities and the guards made no Brendan McFarlane responsible for that happened during less attempt to conceal that they would give him much worse treatment. The beating we got would
Therefore, I again appeal to you to do everything possible to get the judges to review their decision to
McFarlane, if only for humanitarian reasons. [Retranslated from the Dutch].
authorities did not come out of the blue. Immediately after the initial decision on the case by a local Amsterdam court on March 25, 1986, Irish Republican prisoners in the Maze prison started a letter-writing campaign to warn the outside world of the grave physical dangers facing Brendan McFarlane and Gerard Kelly if they were handed over to the British authorities. Special attention was called to the position of McFarlane, who was seen as the brains behind the
These letters were not allowed out by the prison authorities.
and [See box]. He is one of the 38 political prisoners who escaped from this prison on September 25, 1983 was one of almost immediately recaptured. known concept for the minister. That is why Van Bennekom initiforce the minister to wait for a from the European Court Rights. On Thursday, November 20, the European Court decided not to ask the Dutch government to postpone the extradition. The court wants to wait for the in the summary ings, which is expected for November that there is insufficient evidence to
Van Bennekom's response to the
"The meaning of this decision is limited. The comThe practical ruling is that since the court at the vene, it is not likely that in a short time it will seen reasons to.
The European Commission is to take up this case on December 1
Committee on Justice, a majority made up of Liberals and Christian Democrats are in agreement with the minister. The PvdA [Labor Party] and the
PSP [small parties] are considering the possibilities for putting agenda of parliament. press, nothing has yet been decided.
PvdA leader Maarten van Traa has said: "In any event, we are not happy about this. I think that a formal question will be
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