THE HANDLING OF Private Lee Clegg's release this week was criticised by the priest spokesman of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO).
Fr Gerry McFlynn said that "There should not be one system for Irish prisoners and an other for convicted members of the British security forces." He stressed that "The peace process must above all be evenhanded and be seen to be."
Though Fr McFlynn said that he did not wish "to comment on the merits of Privatre Clegg's case", he pointed out that the ICPO has observed that the political, legal and media people involved in the campaign were the same ones who showed so little interest in "the clear miscarriages of justice" of the Birmingham Six, the Guildford Four and Judith Ward cases.
"There are at present some 13 republican prisoners from Northern Ireland being held in English jails_ We believe that the release of Private Lee Clegg provides the British Government with an excellent opportunity to review the position of these prisoners."