Belfast Playwright In Hiding and Under Threat

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Sunday January 28, 2007 03:40 by Fred Johnston - Manager - THE WESTERN WRITERS' CENTRE, GALWAY westernwriters at eircom dot net 34 Nuns Island, Galway 091.533595

Western Writers' Centre Calls Upon Irish Writers to Support Gary Mitchell

The Belfast playwright Gary Mitchell is still in hiding, but bravely continues to work - support him!

The Western Writers' Centre, Galway, wishes to make public its support for the Belfast playwright, Gary Mitchell, who, still in hiding and under threat after a TV film of his was broadcast, continues to work. Mitchell continues to write and is working on a project about collusion between the RUC and Loyalist paramilitaries.
We would call upon other writers to state publicly their support for Mitchell and upon bodies such as Aosdána and the Irish Writers' Union, as well as other Irish arts' organisations, to voice their abhorrence at this intimidation of an Irish playwright and his family - and intimidation of Irish writers, reviewers and editors in whatever form it may manifest itself.
It is a fundamental right of every writer, in whatever discipline he or she may work, to express their views without the possibility or probability of threat or intimidation. Silence is complicity. We must lend our voices against such threats wherever they are recognsied. It is a moral duty.