[Sinn Fein]

14 December 1999


RUC must be disbanded, Dublin meeting hears

Sinn Fein Assembly member Francie Molloy told a meeting in Dublin tonight (Tuesday) that the RUC must be disbanded. ``It is a politically-motivated unionist militia steeped in brutality, cover-ups and collusion with loyalist paramilitary death squads,'' Mr Molloy said.

Mr Molloy said that ``more than any other police force in the Western world'', the RUC has been condemned on numerous occasion for human rights abuses. Critics of the RUC have included the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the UN Committee Against Torture, Amnesty International, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament. He said:

``Tinkering with the RUC's name and badges will not change the ethos ingrained in this partisan paramilitary force. It will not matter one bit to nationalists on the receiving end of RUC treatment. It cannot be reformed.

``Republicans are seeking a democratically accountable police service that serves the people, can attract widespread support, is seen as an integral part of the community as a whole and which we could recommend to people as a career option. The RUC is not that option. The RUC must be disbanded.''


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