Phone tapping of Campaigners

mayo | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 28, 2007 20:14 by ted - s2sn

shell to sea

i read with great disquiet yesterday’s report in The Connaught Telegraph of possible phone tapping of those involved in the campaign against the Corrib gas project. It appears from the report that I might be one of those whose phone has been tapped.

If this is true then this raises matters of great concern. On what basis are decisions made to access phone records or to tap phone conversations? Is it not envisaged in the relevant legislation that there should be, in order to justify such interceptions, good grounds to suspect criminal activity? I for one have never been involved in criminal activity of any kind. My efforts in the Corrib gas campaign have been exclusively centred on using political and legal means to redress the problem.

In addition, it would be a grave matter if my work telephone at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology has been tapped, as this would infringe not only my personal privacy but also the fundamental principle of academic freedom. Furthermore, has my telephone been tapped subsequent to the announcing of my intention to seek a seat in Seanad Eireann in the NUI constituency?

I welcome the efforts of Dr Jerry Cowley to pursue this matter and I look forward to immediate clarification from the Minister for Justice on the issue