#3 'Punishment beatings', Howard? That's so 2003! The Padre Pio's where it's at:
"They call it the âPadre Pioâ, but even by the sinister standards of Belfast punishment beatings it is particularly grotesque. At least three teenagers are known to have fallen victim to the IRAâs latest mutilation technique: with their hands tied together as if in prayer, they are shot through both palms with a single bullet from point-blank range. Named after the stigmata of Christâs wounds from the Cross, the punishment is designed to teach a lesson to youths who dare to stand up and challenge their local IRA leaders." |
The Irish Republican Army's political ally Sinn Fein has urged the paramilitary group not to return to violence after its withdrawal of a conditional offer to put its weapons beyond use. Sinn Fein's deputy leader Martin McGuinness told Britain's Sky Television on Sunday that it was totally opposed to any return to conflict between Irish nationalists and the British government. When pressed on whether he would "categorically" tell Republican paramilitaries and the Provisional IRA not to break the ceasefire, McGuinness said he would tell all parties to avoid violence. He urged every side, including the Republican movement, the Loyalist parties, the British army and even "undercover elements" in the British military to resist taking any action's that could jeopardise the peace process.