Internment In Northern Ireland

EDM number 644 in 1991-92, proposed by Harry Barnes on 10/02/1992.

That this House believes that imprisonment without evidence or a fair trial is wrong in principle and that internment of suspected terrorists in Northern Ireland would be a mistake of historic proportions; recognises that, in the light of recent tragic incidents, calls for the introduction of internment may be understandable but that its introduction would be entirely counter-productive; further believes that internment would not only be an affront to civil liberties and put the British Government in the international dock but it would also, as in the past, increase support for paramilitaries, further divide communities along sectarian lines and sow confusion, anger and resentment in these communities that the paramilitaries could feed on; instead urges increased democracy, economic reform and support for peace activities to create the space for non-sectarian politics in Northern Ireland which could undermine paramilitary activities and allow wider demilitarisation of the Province; and stresses the urgency of economic reform since mass unemployment, poverty and deprivation provide the bitter breeding grounds for sectarianism and paramilitarism.

This motion has been signed by a total of 8 MPs.