Cruelty Free Living
Issue 3: October-December 1998

Government Policy versus International Law

As a result of the Trident Ploughshares action in Faslane in August, 114 arrests were made from which 39 trials have been set from now until March next year. At the close of the action, 7 people remained in custody including 5 women at Corntonvale and 2 men in Greenock prisons.

At their trial on 29 September in Helensburgh District Court, the women were found guilty of criminal/malicious damage, admonished and released. The JP acknowledged the strength of their defence but said he was unable to accept a defence based on international law in the jurisdiction of his court. He therefore had to find them guilty.

There will of course be appeals to a higher court based on the illegality of nuclear weapons. This basically means that the Scottish legal system will be on trial. The campaigners point out that the UK Government violates basic humanitarian law by harbouring nuclear weapons and that it is an illegal act under international law to deploy Trident. This needs to be brought out into the light by a proper judicial process.

"if you want to commit murder, better make it genocide - you can get away with that"