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Suspected IRA member Martin Corey out of prison having successfully sued British Government

Intelligence reports claim he's a member of a dissident Republican group

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 7:37 AM

Updated Tuesday, July 10, 2012, 7:37 AM

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Belfast High Court

Photo by Google Images

Martin Corey, 61, a suspected Republican dissident walked free from prison on Monday after successfully suing the British government over its power to keep evidence against him secret.

Corey's Belfast High Court victory ends his latest two-year imprisonment stint and delivers an embarrassing blow to a key provision in Britain's security policy in the North.

According to Fox News Corey originally received two life sentences for the IRA murder of two policemen in 1973. He served 19 years in prison and received parole on condition he would not become involved again in Republican activities.

For decades Britain has reserved the right to send any former IRA convict released on conditional license back to prison without a second trial if evidence suggested they had resumed their Republican ties.

Corey was pick up in April 2010 when the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) announced it had received confidential intelligence that he had become a member of the breakaway Continuity IRA group.

Corey's outraged lawyers demanded to see the evidence the NIO were operating on but were refused. They refused again at his parole board hearing last year.

In response Corey sued Britain, arguing its refusal to provide him with the evidence leveled against him breached the European Convention on Human Rights.

High Court Justice Seamus Treacy reportedly agreed this week, ordering Corey's immediate unconditional release and ruling that British authorities must disclose evidence to the accused if it is central to their imprisonment order.

The Northern Ireland Office offered no reaction to the order.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson welcomed the verdict on Monday and called for the release of two other IRA veterans currently imprisoned under the same power.

Sinn Fein politician Raymond McCartney told the press it was 'unacceptable that you can be imprisoned by the decision of a British secretary of state to revoke a license and place no evidence or proof before a court. The British government now need to end the pursuit of Martin Corey and drop any further attempts to intern him in the way they have.'

Corey was one of three IRA members convicted of murder for the February 27, 1973, killings of policemen William Wylie, 26, and Ronald MaCauley, 43.

Nster.com

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seanomelb | Jul 11, 2012, 08:07 PM EDT

You're reading to much into my post Seamus60. Don't be to touchy.

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seamus60 | Jul 11, 2012, 07:23 AM EDT

maireadinmelb. With respect, Because its an international problem isn`t to say its to be accepted. This type of law regardless of where is the "ultimate toolkit for cover ups". Until the peace process we could always depend on SF to expose and make demands against such abuses. In the old days before poacher turned game keeper. Raymond Mc Cartney SF was straight out of the starting blocks at how good the news was of Coreys release. He has since done the dissappearing act.

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seamus60 | Jul 11, 2012, 07:13 AM EDT

Seano. Martin Corey is not a former Republican. He is a Republican.

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IrelandNorth | Jul 11, 2012, 05:44 AM EDT

Every since English Pope Adrian issued a papal bull to the Anglo-Norman King Henry II of the Angles in 1169, the English-British ruling class just can't get past their divine right to rule Ireland, or any part thereof. Against which any resistance to such ethnocentric egotism will forever be a crime to them. To any Irish nationalist or republican politically conscious enough to fail to recognise the racist superiority and sectarian supremacy of the English, the concept of British Justice will always and forever be the ultimate contradiction in terms.

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maireadinmelb | Jul 11, 2012, 02:06 AM EDT

The scary part is that in Australia there are similar sorts of laws where people can be held on the word of ASIO with no trial and no evidence! Its not just a british thing! Pretty sure the Yanks have a similar clause in their patriot act!

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seanomelb | Jul 11, 2012, 01:00 AM EDT

I said former republicans seamus60. The Northern Ireland secretary has just issued an order for the detention of Mr.Corey, thumbing his nose at the high court.

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seamus60 | Jul 10, 2012, 10:33 PM EDT

Seano. SF`ers are`nt being harrassed.

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seamus60 | Jul 10, 2012, 08:44 PM EDT

The house of lords are at present debating, prior to voting on rolling out this total abuse of legal power accross the board. Once cast in stone by the lords vote the closedmaterial process will apply to all aspects of life. Be it employment issues, be it immigration to whatever they like. Funny thing is that neither SF nor the DUP appear to believe its worth any discussion in Stornmont.

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seanomelb | Jul 10, 2012, 06:17 PM EDT

The continued harassment of former republicans is a deliberate act to conduct a proxy war against the nationalists of the six counties. The Boston tapes are part of this(not so) secretive war.

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seamus60 | Jul 10, 2012, 06:14 PM EDT

Seanmor. Martin will have no where near as easy a time as Bik. Not towing the party line has lots of drawbacks.

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Seanmor | Jul 10, 2012, 02:02 PM EDT

The decision of the Belfasst Hight Court in the Martin Corey case reminds me of another court case that was also decided in favor of another former Provo. In Sept. of 2010 the European Court of Human Rights ordered the government of the Irish state to pay Brendan McFarlane €4.500 compensation in addition to a fine of €10,000 for court costs. It is so ironic that all the major parties in the Dáil strongly recommend that their constituents vote YES on every E.U. referendum, including the ones that dimisish the state's sovereignty. Another irony: Republicans are now achieving at the polling booth and the courts what they failed to accomplish by physical force.

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seamus60 | Jul 10, 2012, 11:34 AM EDT

Philib04. Cause they wouldn`t stand for it. Just as we didn`t in the past. The times they have a changed. Today Sf`s Gerry Kelly preferred to attack a Nationalist communities intention to hold a protest at an Orange parade marching through their area. Maybe he should move in and live there. But below him now.

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pilib04 | Jul 10, 2012, 10:54 AM EDT

Yeah Taqbyrne70, always doublecheck current news stories. I imagine that it came across some news desk, but was not followed up. The Judge ruled it was a violation of Corey's human rights! However, as you noted, Corey never got out of Magherberry. Unfortunately England still decides who stays and who goes. Sinn Fein has been raising this issue repeatedly about the powerful influence of the unelected foreigner, Northern Ireland Secretary, Owen Patterson. You certainly wouldn't see such nonsense in Scotland.

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seamus60 | Jul 10, 2012, 10:53 AM EDT

More blatant human rights abuses and SF sit on their ass`s in Stornmont. For decades they called the SDLP all sorts for not walking in protest at the same injustice. We need not wait for them to call republicans on to the streets in protest either. Things have changed in that the poacher has turned gamekeeper and little else. Free Martin Corey.

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tabyrne70 | Jul 10, 2012, 09:55 AM EDT

He has not been released.

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