Booklet by John Lannon, Shannonwatch

Published with support from the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) and the Irish Anti-War Movement

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"Shannon Airport and Ireland have contributed directly to the daily suffering and human rights abuse of men, women and children – from the men tortured in Guantanamo Bay to the children in Afghanistan who are injured or orphaned by airstrikes and roadside bombs. It is for people like these that opponents of Shannon’s militarization continue to campaign and to seek accountability. They do so on the basis of a wide range of legal instruments, both national and international, that support their moral arguments.

These instruments relate to four key areas:

1. the application of aviation law in relation to the transportation of munitions of war and other explosive substances;

2. suspected breaches of international and European human rights law, as well as domestic Irish law, in relation to known and suspected involvement in rendition;

3. possible breaches of international humanitarian law;

4. policy and practice relating to the concept of Irish neutrality."

The booklet provides an overview of international and national laws in each of these four areas. It also looks at the implications of two high profile criminal trials (those of Mary Kelly and the Catholic Workers) for direct action against the misuse of Shannon Airport.

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