The recent jailing of a man for membership of a dissident republican group on the "opinion" of a garda chief superintendent marks a return to the internment regime of the early 1970s, Republican Sinn Fein has claimed.
Speaking at a Wolfe Tone commemorative event yesterday, RSF national treasurer Mr Joe O'Neill criticised new anti-terrorism laws under which Mr Dermot Gannon (34) was sentenced on May 31st for four years for membership of the Continuity IRA.
Mr O'Neill said "a simple accusation" with no corroborating evidence was sufficient to secure the conviction. "The procedure amounts to internment without trial."