Tony Taylor has been held in custody at Maghaberry prison since March 2016 following the revoking of his license by then Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.

He was arrested by the PSNI while on a shopping trip with his family at Crescent Link Retail Park.

At the time the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said his licence was revoked by the Parole Commission because of the risk he posed to the public.

Mr Taylor was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 1994 after he was seriously injured in a premature explosion in Derry.

He was released under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

In 2011 he was sentenced to three years in jail for possession of a rifle. He was released in 2014.

There have repeated calls for the now Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, to release Mr Taylor, as concerns continue over his health, and the lack of evidence against him.

A protest rally marking the first anniversary of Mr Taylor’s detention was held outside the PSNI Station on the Strand Road on Saturday, where Mr Taylor’s wife spoke of the difficulties she and her three children had faced over the past year, during which time she said her family have been placed under ‘constant surveillance’ by the PSNI and she has not been allowed to visit her husband in prison.

Mrs Taylor said that the past 12 months had been especially hard for her son, Bliain, who is disabled.

“It is difficult for me to explain how we as a family have been traumatised by Tony’s arrest and detention,” she said.

“His continued absence is having a devastating impact on our family.

“Our son Bliain is now totally dependent on me, and I myself am both physically and emotionally drained.”

“I believe his arrest is linked to his political beliefs and his work on behalf of Republican prisoners, but we don’t accept there is any further reason for him being detained, and no evidence has been produced for this.”

She added that there are also concerns for husband’s health, which she said will continue to deteriorate the longer he remains in jail.

Mrs Taylor also said she now wished to visit Stormont and directly address politicians about her family’s situation.

“I would like to be invited to Stormont so I can explain what we have been going through and how unjust Tony’s treatment has been, because he is the only man currently interned in the country,” she said.

“I want to be sure that Tony’s is not forgotten about by the politicians because Tony’s rights, and our rights, have been repeatedly denied.”

Gary Donnelly, independent councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council, said that local parties now need to step up their efforts in lobbying for Mr Taylor’s release, after the council passed a motion in April of last year.

“The corporate position of Derry City and Strabane District Council is that Tony should be released immediately, so the councillors in there and their political parties should be taking the case forward, and it’s about time that the councillors who signed up to that motion put pressure on the British government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein councillor Paul Fleming added: “Tony Talyor shouldn’t be in prison, he is being held without being charged, without due process, and we will continue to support Lorraine and her family in getting Tony released.”