World Notes CENSORSHIP

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has often proclaimed that terrorists must be deprived of the "oxygen of publicity." Last week she tried to cut off the air supply of the Irish Republican Army by banning radio and television interviews with members of the outlawed guerrilla group and its political arm, Sinn Fein (including Gerry Adams, the party's sole representative in Parliament). The action, which also applied to some Protestant extremist groups, marked the most sweeping British censorship decision since World War II. The Republic of Ireland has maintained a similar ban since 1976.

The next day the government announced that it would introduce legislation to limit the right of suspects in Northern Ireland to remain silent during legal proceedings. Courts could then infer guilt if a suspect refused to answer questions. While the right to silence has been a cornerstone of British criminal justice, the Conservative Party's 101-seat majority in the House of Commons makes passage of the measure virtually certain.

Critics charged that the moves threatened the rights of all British citizens. "Violence cannot be defeated by injustice," warned Sarah Spencer, general secretary of the National Council for Civil Liberties. The government responded that terrorists have been thwarting justice by "the gross, determined and persistent abuse" of the right to silence.