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Breton activists falsely imprisoned by the French State have enjoyed some judicial success and applications to the European Court are stillpending. In the article below Celtic League General Secretary, Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, suggests that the experience of the Bretons may give some encouragement to those suffering police repression in another Celtic country - Kernow
'The Cour d'Appel de Rennes (Court of Appeal in Rennes) has condemned the French state for keeping Bretons in police detention for extended periods of time in contravention of their human rights.
Between December 1999 and June 2000 especially, tens of people were remanded in police custody by officers of the Division Nationale Anti-Terroriste (Anti Terrorist National Division), for excessive periods of time, with one person remaining in custody for 80 hours and 20 minutes.
All those detained were described as simples témoins (simple witnesses) and could only be held for a limited period.
On the 24th January 2008, the Court of Appeal in Rennes ruled that compensation of between 1500 and 4000 Euros should now be granted to those detainees held for extended periods. Previously in October 2007, the Cour d'Appel d'Angers (Court of Appeal in Angers) ruled that the French state should compensate one man, who almost died while in custody, to the tune of 7000 Euros for damages and 2000 Euros to cover his legal expenses.
In June 2006, the French Cour de cassation (Supreme Court of Appeal) had thrown out four cases brought against the French state from defendants who claimed that they had been held unlawfully by the police. Those same four have now lodged a case at the European Court of the Humans right for violation of the European Convention on Humans Rights and each are claiming 50000 Euro damages. Some of the witnesses detained also had personal possessions confiscated, including computer equipment, for unspecified periods of time.
The Rennes ruling could possibly have implications for those people arrested in Cornwall in 2007, including Celtic League members. In one instance, as reported recently in the Celtic League news pages, a member of the League (Member B) was called to answer police bail on 16th January 2008, four months after has arrest and interrogation. Member B was interrogated for a further ten hours on the 16th January, only to be released again without charge, and has once again been called to answer police bail in March 2008.
Member B also had a large quantity of items confiscated by police, including computers, books and files, which have not yet been returned. Neither has Member B received confirmation from the police if his possessions will be returned to him or for how long his police bail will last or if he will ever be charged.
It would seem pertinent to question whether this abnormally long period of police bail and its continued renewal for an unspecified period of time is in contravention of Member B's human rights. The Celtic League have lodged a police complaint against the treatment of activists from the Kernow Branch of the League and it may be worth other non League members in Cornwall, who have also been arrested and not charged in 2007, to do the same.
The Celtic League welcomes the decision of the Rennes Court of Appeal and congratulates those organisations and individuals who helped to ensure justice was upheld. We hope the same thing can now be done in Cornwall and that the UK state is made to answer for the undue suffering and stress caused to Cornish activists who have fallen victim to what appears to be another misuse by the police of anti terrorism legislation.'
(Article prepared for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot)
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
28/01/08
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