A CASE of dog eat dog. That is the best way to describe the legal tussle that it drawing to its close in Strasbouro where the Southern Irish Government accusing British torture, ill-treatment and disChindlor at the European Court of Human Rights.
The biggest surprise of the whole affair has been the willingness of the Irish Government to carry through its accusations against Britain's handling of internment. Certainly it is difficult for the Coalition Irish Government to drop the charges as they were initiated by its Fianna Fail predecessors. To drop the charges at this late stage could have damaging electoral consequences for coalition parties.
DISCONTINUE The Irish Government on the other hand has repeatedly attempted to offer ways in which Britain can ena tne wnoic emoarrassing affair. The Irish Attorney General nas stateo that brain cIne prosecutes those responsible for ine to ture BELCERCC passes a Bill of Rights for the North of Ireland they discontinue the charges All this the British press has ignored in its treatment of Strasbourg hearings. Instead they of have fumed at the Irish Government for providing "propaganda" for the Soviet Union and pointed to the recent record of the Irish Government in its treatment of political prisoners.
The treatment of apparent prisoners by the Irish Government every bit as Britain's record. maximum security prison Republican prisoners are strip searched, denied visits, denied access to their lawyers, rerused reading and craft facilities and are forced to spend long perioas in sonary connine ment.
The Portlaoise hunger strike which ended last week was in protest against these conditions, and although the Irish Government is claiming victory over the hunger strikers it does seem that at least the strip searches will be discontinued in Portlaoise.
What has particularly embarrassed the Irish Government's charges al strasbourg are me aneganons recently printed in the Irish Times about police torture of Republican would suspects. Several of the case histTories describe the use of some of the five sensory deprivation techniques practised by Britain that the European Court has already denounced as torture.
There is an Tipperary men held by the police in January this year. They told the Irish Times that their ill-treatment began when detectives from DubRepublican lin, members of the heavy gang, arrived to take over their interro scandalous gation.
Tricked and pulled by Portiaoise They were deprived or sicep ame lost track of time by being kept in rooms with the blinds drawn and electric lights on day and night.
They were told by the police: *We will break you mentally and Daysically on the seventa Hour o the seventh day; that's when they a break The treatment was such that one of jumping through a window rather an unqualified nan sin a laise statement British press have given as wide a publicity to these allegations as the Soviet Union is alleged to be giving to the Strasbourg hearings. After ail ine oniv derence briain na against charges agamnst taem is mar une accusers are as guilty as the accused.
account of four the men were punenee the hair. attempted suicide by So it is not surprising that the being laid