Citation

Nelson WR. Terrorism 1990; 13(3): 227-236.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990)

DOI

10.1080/10576109008435833

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

When the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried its campaign of terrorist bombings to England in 1974, Parliament responded with special antiterrorist legislation. The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act in its 1989 reenact‐ment proscribes the IRA and the Irish National Liberation Army and provides punishment for participation in their activities. New rules on arrest, detention, and search warrants have been developed, as well as authority to seize the assets and proceeds of terrorism. Exclusion orders are authorized to prevent persons associated with terrorism from entering Britain or Northern Ireland. A ban has also been imposed upon broadcasting interviews with members of proscribed organizations. The ban has been extended to include Sinn Fein, the legal political party that speaks for the IRA, and the Ulster Defense Association. The antiterrorist legislation has been drafted with consideration for the protection of historic due process of law, which is a challenging task when dealing with groups that disdain conventional rules of right or wrong. The British procedures have been designed to deal with a particular problem that requires a balancing of the rights of persons suspected of criminal activity and the rights of the rest of the population to be protected against extreme violence.

Language: en