Sinn Féin’s representative to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Seán Crowe TD, used his question time in the Assembly with the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, to raise the unjust continued detention of Tony Taylor.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“In PACE I informed Commissioner Muižnieks that Tony Taylor was arrested and his early release licence under the Good Friday Agreement was evoked by the previous British Secretary of State, and that he was detained in Maghaberry Prison in March 2016 without having been charged, questioned or allowed legal representation.

“I informed the Commissioner that in the course of Tony Taylor’s detention, no evidence has been produced which could in any way justify his continued detention, nor indeed his arrest in March 2016.

“I said Tony Taylor’s detention in this way fuels the perception of a form of legalised internment by remand. It is a violation of his fundamental human rights and a subversion of due process.

“I asked the Commissioner to look into Tony Taylor’s case and I welcome his commitment on the floor of PACE to do so.

“In his reply he also committed to continuing to support ongoing human rights legacy cases in the North and this is also welcome.”

ENDS