| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to make provision with respect to the following matters in Northern Ireland, that is to say, proceedings for and the punishment of certain offences, the detention of terrorists, the preservation of the peace, the maintenance of order and the detection of crime and to proscribe and make other provision in connection with certain organisations there, and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1973 c. 53 |
| Introduced by | William Whitelaw |
| Territorial extent | Northern Ireland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 25 July 1973 |
| Commencement | 8 August 1973 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Relates to | |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 (c. 53) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which abolished the death penalty for murder in Northern Ireland, and established the Diplock courts in which terrorist offences were tried by a judge without a jury. [1] It has mostly been repealed, the anti-terrorism provisions having been superseded by subsequent legislation. The death penalty had not been used in Northern Ireland since 1961, when Robert McGladdery was hanged. [2]
The act banned membership under penalty of law in the following organisations:
- Irish Republican Army [3]
- Cumann na mBan [3]
- Fianna Éireann [3]
- Saor Éire [3]
- Sinn Féin [3]
- Ulster Volunteer Force [3]
The subsequent Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 would require oaths renouncing these organisations (except Sinn Féin). [4]
