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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: ONE-STEP E-MAIL APPEAL for Aidan Hulme Date: 08 25 02 Please take three minutes of your day today and send an e-mail on behalf of Aidan Hulme, to ask that he be given compassionate bail this week for emergency surgery to save his leg from amputation. British Government offices are closed tomorrow, Monday August 26; but we are asking for your help in sending as many e-mail messages as possible to be received Tuesday, to express world-wide concern in this matter. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP IN THREE MINUTES. Concerned Americans and all others around the world can send one email, one time, to all of these offices: -British Home Secretary David Blunkett -Belmarsh Prison Governor Hazel Banks -British Prison Service Headquarters -British Directorate of Prison Medical Services FOLLOW THESE 5 EASY STEPS: or go HERE for simple 2-step email! 1. Open a new message in your email program. 2. Copy and paste both of these addresses in your “TO” box: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk; prisons.dg@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 3.Copy and paste to the “SUBJECT” box: Urgent appeal on behalf of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme (or use your own wording) 4. Copy and paste the following to the BODY of the message, or use your own words (Please include all offices to receive the message at top): ATTN: Home Secretary David Blunkett MP Home Office 50, Queen Ann's Gate London.WC1 SW1H 9AT England Governor Hazel Banks HMP Belmarsh Western Way Thamesmead London SE28 OEB. The Secretariat HM Prison Service Headquarters Cleland House Page Street London, SW1P 4LN Directorate of Prison Medical Services Home Office Cleland House Page Street London SW1P 4LN I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the health and safety of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme. I understand he is in need of emergency surgery to save a badly injured leg. I am also aware that a London hospital has offered to perform emergency surgery, but Aidan must first be granted a short compassionate release for the operation. I am appealing to you as a concerned American that you please immediately release this young man to the doctors who have offered to perform the surgery and are standing by. Don’t let the eyes of the world watch as this young man’s condition is allowed to deteriorate further by an uncaring system. I await your actions on this urgent matter. Yours very sincerely; _______________________________ (YOUR NAME/ADDRESS HERE) 5.After adding your name and town/country of residence to your letter, Hit SEND. ------------------------ YOU CAN HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Your opinion is very important, please don’t delay! Examining physicians have already stated that without an immediate release for this emergency surgery, Aidan will lose his leg to amputation at Belmarsh Prison. Thank you for your continued support. - IFC POW DEPT. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ For more information on the Belmarsh Prison medical neglect of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme please go to: The Irish Freedom Committee www.irishfreedomcommittee.net IFC POW DEPT – ACTION REQUESTS – AIDAN HULME http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/action_request.htm#Aidan%20Hulme IFC NewsList 08 13 02 – URGENT HELP NEEDED – AIDAN HULME http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/august_2002.htm#URGENT%20HELP%20 NEEDED–%20Aidan%20Hulme ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
DISPATCH FROM THE IFC POW DEPT. IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Aidan Hulme - UPDATES Date: 08 27 02 Irish political prisoner Aidan Hulme, who is in critical need of emergency surgery to save his leg from amputation, has been given new hope today with news that a London QC ("Queen's Counsel") has been listed to make a bail application for him. Prisoners' rights sources in London tell us that a QC would hold more sway with authorities in this appeal than Aidan’s own solicitors would. The bail application is to be lodged by the QC on September 4th. Emergency surgery is needed for Aidan’s pre-existing injuries, which have not been treated since Aidan arrived at Belmarsh Prison; resulting in a recent decision by prison doctors that amputation would be necessary to amend the damage done by massive gangrene. A London hospital has offered its services for this critical surgery to save Aidan’s leg, and is merely awaiting the Prison’s release on compassionate bail. The normal waiting time for this type of procedure in Britain is one year, but a consultant surgeon has offered to do the operation privately and is on stand-by pending Aidan’s release. Please help this young Irish man today by sending an e-mail, fax, letter, or telephone call to the British government officials listed below, asking that emergency compassionate bail be granted so that Aidan may receive the medical care which is guaranteed to him under the Geneva Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, European Prison Rules, and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Thank you to the prisoners' rights organizations in London for their continued efforts to keep Aidan Hulme’s situation in the world’s eye. For more information please contact us at Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee.net. Go raibh maith agat - IFC POW DEPT The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ ONE-STEP E-MAIL APPEAL for Aidan Hulme HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP IN THREE MINUTES. Concerned Americans and all others around the world can send one email, one time, to all of these offices: -British Home Secretary David Blunkett -Belmarsh Prison Governor Hazel Banks -British Prison Service Headquarters -British Directorate of Prison Medical Services FOLLOW THESE 5 EASY STEPS: 1. Open a new message in your email program. 2. Copy and paste both of these addresses in your “TO” box: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk; prisons.dg@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk 3.Copy and paste to the “SUBJECT” box: Urgent appeal on behalf of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme (or use your own wording) 4. Copy and paste the following to the BODY of the message, or use your own words (Please include all offices to receive the message at top): ATTN: Home Secretary David Blunkett MP Home Office 50, Queen Ann's Gate London.WC1 SW1H 9AT England Governor Hazel Banks HMP Belmarsh Western Way Thamesmead London SE28 OEB. The Secretariat HM Prison Service Headquarters Cleland House Page Street London, SW1P 4LN Directorate of Prison Medical Services Home Office Cleland House Page Street London SW1P 4LN I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the health and safety of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme. I understand he is in need of emergency surgery to save a badly injured leg. I am also aware that a London hospital has offered to perform emergency surgery, but Aidan must first be granted a short compassionate release for the operation. I am appealing to you as a concerned American that you please immediately release this young man to the doctors who have offered to perform the surgery and are standing by. Don’t let the eyes of the world watch as this young man’s condition is allowed to deteriorate further by an uncaring system. I await your actions on this urgent matter. Yours very sincerely; _______________________________ (YOUR NAME/ADDRESS HERE) 5.After adding your name and town/country of residence to your letter, Hit SEND. ------------------------ THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. ************************************************ For more information on the Belmarsh Prison medical neglect of Irish prisoner Aidan Hulme please go to: The Irish Freedom Committee www.irishfreedomcommittee.net IFC POW DEPT – ACTION REQUESTS – AIDAN HULME http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/action_request.htm#Aidan%20Hulme IFC NewsList 08 13 02 – URGENT HELP NEEDED – AIDAN HULME http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/august_2002.htm#URGENT%20HELP%20NEEDED–%20Aidan%20Hulme ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: “Republican Prisoners Action Committee” Date: 08 25 02 A coalition committee has been drawn up at a meeting today in Conway Mill, modeling itself on the H-Block committees early 1980’s. The purposes of the committee are to coordinate a campaign calling for immediate segregation of Republican prisoners at Maghaberry Prison, as a first step towards the full restoration of Political Status; and to ensure maximum support for any future protest actions. The committee will also work to keep community support united and up-to-date on strategies forward. The committee has called itself the “Republican Prisoners Action Committee”, and is not a fund-raising body. The next meeting will be held three days from now. We wish this committee every strength in its future efforts on behalf of the Republican prisoners at Maghaberry Jail. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ For more information on the critical situation for Irish Republican POWs at Maghaberry Prison please go to www.irishfreedomcommittee.net - click on “POWs” at top menu bar. ************************************************ PLEASE SEND AN E-MAIL TODAY ON BEHALF OF AIDAN HULME – Go here for more information and Sample Letter/ British Gov’t e-mail addresses: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/august_2002.htm#URGENT%20HELP%20 NEEDED–%20Aidan%20Hulme URGENT HELP NEEDED! ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Marian Price, Anthony McIntyre on Ciaran McLaughlin Date: 08 24 02 Following are two essays on Irish Republican Prisoner of War Ciaran McLaughlin, and the abusive and discriminatory treatment of Republican prisoners at Maghaberry, written by authors Marian Price and Anthony McIntyre. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ Marian Price on Ciaran McLaughlin 23rd August 2002. ----------------- Following the media furore over Ciaran Mc Laughlin’s parole protest this week I feel compelled to raise some questions that they have ignored, whether by accident or design. Perhaps the most pertinent one is why Ciaran was forced into the situation where he felt such action necessary. Why did the NIO and the prison authorities single him out for such harsh treatment? It is the norm for prisoners to be granted 72hrs parole in the case of a close family bereavement. Ciaran is the head of a family who have endured the long and distressing terminal illness of baby Kyle, the authorities prevented him being present when Kyle died and added insult to injury by not allowing him adequate time to grieve with and comfort his family after the funeral. Surely the question being asked should not be about his delay in going back but rather why he wasn’t given longer parole in the first place. Whilst Ciaran’s was an individual decision, the media reaction to it has in many ways vindicated it. Would the fact that he was granted only 12hrs parole even have been mentioned in the press if he hadn’t taken the action he did? His protest was designed to highlight the discriminatory treatment he was receiving and in that he was very successful. Claims made by some of the media that the hoax alerts in Derry on the day of the funeral were related to Ciaran’s protest are completely without foundation. In many cases these actually prevented mourners attending the funeral service and in others made them late, myself being one of those affected. It must be stated that throughout Monday many efforts were made by various people to have Ciaran’s parole extended but alas all pleas fell on deaf ears. His action certainly wasn’t planned and seems to have been taken only after all other avenues were exhausted. It came as a surprise to many of us. Let’s get one thing very clear- this man did not dishonour his parole- he returned to gaol of his own free will having made his point. He knew only too well the consequences of his actions and that he would face further punishment on his return but he was prepared to take that hardship to make his protest. Since his return he has been brought before the governor and charged with being” unlawfully at large”. At the hearing he was surrounded by the prison riot squad, surely totally unnecessary intimidation. He was refused any sort of legal representation. He is currently awaiting “adjudication”, where punishment will be handed out at the whim of the governor-hardly justice. There is no justifiable reason for his action to affect parole for other Republican prisoners-this man made a protest he did not abscond. The NIO cannot have it both ways, on the one hand they state that all prisoners are treated as individuals and in the next breath we have the likes of Ken Magennis calling for parole to Republican prisoners to be stopped altogether because of this man’s protest. If these men are to be recognised as a group for punishment to be meted out, then they are entitled to be treated and recognised as a group in all matters. The only question to be asked here is, if parole is supposed to be granted on humanitarian grounds why was this man singled out for such cruel and inhumane treatment? The security issue cannot be used as he had returned to prison on two previous occasions without delay- his treatment smacks of vindictiveness. - Marian Price. Ex-Republican POW. --------------------------- Anthony McIntyre on Ciaran McLaughlin 22/8/2002 --------- That republican prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin returned to prison after being released on compassionate parole is as expected as it is welcome. Freed for a twelve hour period to attend the funeral of his grandchild, Kyle McMonaghle, the leader of the republican prisoners in Maghaberry initially did not report back to prison authorities once his leave had expired. The same authorities placed the parolee’s details on its website and sent out an alert. However, the republican prisoner eventually presented himself at property owned by clergy stating that he had stayed out in order to take ‘the extra time I had requested.’ He had initially asked for seventy two hours which the prison authorities refused. Despite having honoured the terms of two previous compassionate leaves the Derry man had also been refused permission to be with his grandchild when it became clear that the two year old had only hours of his short life left to live. Few would dispute that Ciaran McLaughlin violated prison rules. That he did so with little to gain and plenty to lose in terms of retribution from a vindictive prison administration raises questions which need answers rather than self-righteous indignation from those in charge of prison policy. His motive was hardly selfish given that he returned. And no one has yet said that his behaviour while out posed any threat to either the state or society. The history of the British penal system in the North of Ireland over the past thirty three years has been one which remains unintelligible if not read through a prism of jailed republicans challenging and violating unjust prison rules. Denis Faul once described Bobby Sands as the greatest prison reformer of the 20th century. As a result of republican protest the prison regime has been modified and its administrators pulled away by the roots from their essentially brutal management procedures and towards the more enlightened and humane regime envisaged by people like Bobby Sands. In order to minimise systemic violence and humanise its perpetrators, protest and a flagrant disregard for the rules, as well as being at times the only weapon in the prisoners’ armoury, proved indispensable. Disobedience was the engine driving the push for change and improved human rights standards. 12 hours parole to attend the funeral of a loved one is an insult and a major infringement of human dignity. Ciaran McLaughlin’s peaceful attempt to highlight it is perfectly understandable. In a typical fit of the pique displayed by a bureaucrat scorned, a spokesperson for the prison administration described McLaughlin’s parole violation as a serious matter which would be dealt with appropriately by the prison governor. The same spokesperson went on to threaten that this incident would negatively impact on any future parole applications. Behind the bureaucratic jargon this simply means that all other prisoners can expect to become the victims of a collective punitive measure. Few will be surprised by such a knee jerk response. It is hardly atypical of bureaucrats in their little fiefdoms of power. And their memory seems as 'great' as their intellect. Throughout imprisonment compassionate parole was always considered a right by republican prisoners and a weapon by the authorities. Those of us on the Blanket protest remember clearly Seamus Finucane being told he could attend his father’s funeral in 1978 if he would leave the protest. We also recall the insensitivity of a prison governor who informed Seamy Kearney in 1979 that his brother was dead by asking ‘have you a brother called Michael? Well, he’s Michael no more.’ Neither were freed, yet, republicans always persevered. In the early 1970s not long after Billy McKee had, through a prolonged hunger strike, secured political status for loyalist and republican prisoners alike, Jim Scullion - a future IRA leader in Long Kesh - and others took part in a 35 day hunger strike to win compassionate parole for those prisoners whose families lived across the border. Republicans had a history of honouring their paroles. When an Ardoyne republican lifer in the mid 1970s returned to prison many hours late from the funeral of a family member he was expelled from the republican cages by the IRA leadership within the prison. While many of the bereaved prisoner’s comrades felt the sanction was too harsh, the camp leadership felt they had no choice such was the sensitivity of the issue. In real terms the expulsion did little to assuage the vengeful appetite of the prison administration. In 1977 they seized their chance and refused compassionate parole to another Ardoyne republican lifer on the death of his mother. This heralded the start of a five year moratorium on compassionate parole for lifers that was only conditionally lifted after the 1981 hunger strikes which kick started the tentative beginning of a thaw in cold management procedures. By 1983, the moratorium was re-imposed after Davy Allen, a loyalist lifer and Gerard McCrory, a republican serving a similar sentence failed to return from their compassionate paroles. It took until the mid 1980s before matters began to improve and then only after much lobbying and the application of pressure. The prison administration can expect nothing but trouble if the vindictiveness contained in the statement of its spokesperson who commented on Ciaran McLaughlin’s protest is allowed to translate into policy. The treatment of republican prisoners is always a volatile tinderbox. If wiser counsel within the higher echelons of prison management allows its minions-cum-spokespeople to run around unsupervised with inflammatory intent, they can hardly feign surprise at the resulting conflagration. Those tasked with running the jails should view Ciaran McLaughlin not as a prisoner lost but a lesson learned. A much more liberal approach toward compassionate parole and a willingness to understand rather than punish prisoners will go a long way toward obviating the grievances of bereaved and, consequently, acutely sensitive people. - Anthony McIntyre ************************************************ For more on Ciaran McLaughlin see "What's New" on the Irish Freedom Committee website, or type "Ciaran McLaughlin" in our Database Search box at: www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Marian Price: Protest by Republican Prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin Date: 08 21 02 The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ In a statement released to the media today from Belfast, prisoners' rights activist Marian Price said; "(We)... send support and condolences to Maghaberry POW Ciaran Mc Laughlin at this difficult time following the death of his grandson Kyle. "The protest which Ciaran was forced to make in the past 48 hours is testimony only to the vindictiveness of both Maghaberry jail and the NIO. "Maghaberry and the NIO insist that Ciaran and his comrades are to be treated no differently from any other prisoners yet due to his political background they refused to grant him the standard 72 hours parole, the right of every sentenced prisoner in the case of a family bereavement. "The NIO cannot have it both ways- Ciaran Mc Loughlin only took what was rightfully his. "Far from being a reason to block future parole applications, this incident reinforces the case that the right of Republicans to compassionate parole be granted without conditions." ************************************************ Please extend sympathies to: Ciaran McLaughlin Maghaberry Prison Upper Ballinderry Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT 28, North of Ireland The McMonagle Family C/o The Irish Freedom Committee P.O. Box 11417 Chicago IL 60611 USA Bernie McLaughlin C/o The Irish Freedom Committee P.O. Box 11417 Chicago IL 60611 USA ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Prisoner released for grandson’s funeral Date: 08 20 02 The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ The Derry Journal August 20, 2002 Prisoner released for grandson’s funeral A REPUBLICAN prisoner from Derry was released for 12 hours yesterday to attend the funeral of his baby grandson. Ciaran McLaughlin was released from Maghaberry Prison on compassionate parole to attend little Kyle McMonagle’s funeral at St. Joseph’s Church, Galliagh. Hundreds of mourners turned out for yesterday’s Requiem Mass. The two-and-a-half year-old, who died on Saturday morning, had suffered from a very severe form of hydrocephalus.In recent weeks, the toddler’s family had maintained a constant vigil at his bedside. A spokesperson for the Irish Republican Prisoners’ Welfare Association (IRPWA) branded Mr. McLaughlin’s 12 hour parole as “disgraceful”. IRPWA spokesperson Marian Price told the ‘Journal’ that, despite repeated requests for compassionate release to be with his dying grandson, Mr. McLaughlin was “denied this most basic right.” “Since they were fully aware of the gravity of the child’s condition, having been furnished with full reports from Altnagelvin Hospital, one has to ask if this was a malicious delay by the authorities to further torture this prisoner and his family,” she said. “Their treatment highlights in a truly tragic way the brutality and contempt being endured by the prisoners in Maghaberry Jail and their families on the outside.” No other family, she said, should be faced with such appalling treatment. “It’s time the powers-that-be gave prisoners the human rights and dignity they deserve.” Boiling point Ms. Price also claimed that tensions between republican prisoners and the authorities at Maghaberry have reached boiling point. She called on the prison authorities to abandon their “cavalier attitude” before a tragedy occurs. She said that tensions spilled over recently after prisoners’ concerns and demands regarding conditions in the jail were dismissed out of hand. “Prisoners immediately initiated a protest in which all forms of co-operation with the prison regime was withdrawn,” she said. “Republican prisoners are now refusing any co-operation whatsoever with the regime and are being punished in return. All so-called ‘privileges’ have been withdrawn and prisoners are now on ‘report’ awaiting further punishment at the whim of the prison governor.” Demands The IRPWA, she said, was urging the prison to grant the prisoner’s demands which include: segregation from loyalists, separation of long-term from short-term prisoners, recognition as a grouping and political status, and an end to the harassment of prisoners’ families and visitors. ************************************************ For more information on the crisis situation for Irish Republican POWs at Maghaberry Prison, go to: The Irish Freedom Committee www.irishfreedomcommittee.net - Click on POWs ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Civil Rights Veterans – Deepest Sympathies Date: 08 17 02 The Derry October Fifth Civil Rights Veterans have been at the McLaughlin family’s side throughout their terrible ordeal. The group is continuing to work around the clock to obtain a compassionate 72-hour release for Ciaran McLaughlin, so he may attend the wake and funeral of his grandson. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ PRESS RELEASE OCTOBER FIFTH CIVIL RIGHTS VETERANS, DERRY Saturday August 17, 2002 DEEPEST SYMPATHY Derry. Noon. Saturday With a deep sense of sadness civil rights veterans received word that Kyle McMonagle, aged two years and six months, passed away peacefully at 10 am to-day, in Altnagelvin Hospital, surrounded by members of his loving family. Over recent weeks the family have maintained a constant vigil at the hospital. Kyle had suffered with a very severe form of hydrocephalus. We wish to thank sincerely all those, who upon our request, personally contacted the Prison Service and the N. Ireland Office in a bid to secure compassionate parole for Kyle’s grandfather, Mr. Ciaran McLaughlin, a long-term republican prisoner at HMP Maghaberry. These included the Bishop of Derry, Dr. Seamus Hegarty, the city’s mayor, Councillor Anne Mc Closkey, and Mr. Ivan Cooper, a former Minister of Community Relations in the ill-fated 1974 power-sharing executive at Stormont. We wish also to thank our many sincere friends in the United States whose continuing support is much needed, and greatly appreciated. While Mr. McLaughlin was not released to bid a last fond farewell to the child, all concerned parties will mount a determined effort again to ensure that he is present at Kyle’s funeral. We civil rights’ veterans now call on the Stormont and British authorities to keep their ‘security’ to a minimum at this sad time for Ciaran, and his long-suffering family. We wish to see Kyle laid to rest in a totally peaceful and dignified manner. Messages of sympathy received by the civil rights veterans association will be printed out and conveyed to the child’s grieving family. The remains will be waked to night and Sunday night. Our members will be on hand should the family require any assistance at this tragic time. We extend our deepest sympathy to Kyle’s parents, his grandmother Mrs. Bernadette Mc Laughlin, and all the family circle, and hope to be able to speak to Ciaran personally to offer our condolences over the next few days. The civil rights veterans can be contacted via oct5th_vets68@hotmail.com ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Marian Price: Death of Kyle Mc Monagle - Grandson of Ciaran Mc Laughlin. Date: 08 17 02 In a statement released to the media today from Belfast, prisoners' rights activist Marian Price said; "(We have learned) with sadness of the death of little Kyle Mc Monagle, grandson of Republican prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin. Kyle passed away this morning at 10.00am and despite repeated requests for compassionate release to be with his dying grandson Ciaran was denied this most basic right. The authorities had granted him a few hours parole but had stopped this taking place until Sunday. Since they were fully aware of the gravity of the child’s condition, having been furnished with full reports from Altnagelvin Hospital, one has to ask if this was a malicious delay to further torture this prisoner and his family. Their treatment highlights in a truly tragic way the brutality and contempt being endured by the prisoners in Maghaberry Gaol and their families on the outside. "We .... send our sincere sympathy to
Ciaran, Bernie, Leanne and their entire family and assure them of our continued support and assistance. No other family should be faced with
this appalling treatment, it’s time the powers that be gave prisoners the human rights and dignity they deserve. " |
IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Deepest Sympathies Date: 08 17 02 It is with great sadness that we must relay news of the death of young Kyle McMonagle; the two-year-old grandson of Irish Political Prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin. Kyle had fought bravely during his short time on earth, and brought great joy to his family despite the crippling realities of his heartbreaking condition; which gave him little chance of ever seeing his third birthday. Kyle passed on peacefully Saturday morning in a Derry hospital surrounded by loving family members. Sadly he departed without the company of his dearly loved grandfather Ciaran, who was denied compassionate leave to see him a final time despite petitions lodged Wednesday morning for a temporary release to visit the boy’s bedside. Ciaran McLaughlin had petitioned the Northern Ireland Prisons Service since June to be permitted a final brief visit with his beloved grandson. At this late word we are still uncertain whether a compassionate release has finally been granted to Ciaran to visit his waked grandson or to attend the funeral. Please join the Irish Freedom Committee in extending deepest sympathies to the McLaughlin and McMonagle families at this sad time. Please see below for more information on sending sympathy cards to the family. Go ndéana Dia trócaire air. Go dtuga Dia slán abhaile tú. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ Please extend sympathies to: Ciaran McLaughlin A258 Maghaberry Prison Upper Ballinderry Road, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT 28, North of Ireland
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"(We are) warning that tensions between republican prisoners and the authorities in Maghaberry jail have reached boiling point and demands that the prison authorities abandon their cavalier attitude before a tragedy occurs. Tensions spilled over this week when at a meeting of the board of visitors, prisoners' concerns and demands regarding conditions in the jail were dismissed out of hand. Immediately following the meeting prisoners initiated a protest in which all forms of co-operation with the prison regime was withdrawn. Republican prisoners are now refusing any co-operation whatsoever with the regime and are being punished in return. All so-called 'privileges' have been withdrawn and prisoners are now on 'report' awaiting further punishment at the whim of the prison governor. "(We) demand that the prison grants the reasonable demands of republican prisoners, which are:
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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: Child in Coma Date: 08 16 02 Two-year old Kyle McLaughlin, the grandson of Maghaberry Irish Political Prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin, has lapsed into a coma at a Derry Hospital. Kyle was born with a rare brain disorder, and has been hospitalized virtually all of his young life. He is much loved and regarded as a son by his grandfather Ciaran. Kyle recently celebrated his second birthday, demanding chocolate and learning to “dance” while confined to lying in his hospital bed 24 hours a day. Until the recent setbacks in his condition, Kyle enjoyed social company and greatly looked forward to seeing his grandfather. The October Fifth Civil Rights Veterans and the McLaughlin family have today lodged a petition with the Northern Ireland Prisons Board, seeking immediate compassionate release for Ciaran. A previous petition to see his grandson before his condition gravely worsened was rejected by the NIPS in early July. The Irish Freedom Committee will keep our Members and Supporters up to date on this situation as we receive news. We will count on YOU to help us if this petition for compassionate parole is once again refused. There is a report from the October Fifth Civil Rights Veterans below; including an Update filed this morning. Go raibh maith agat; The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ From: OCTOBER FIFTH CIVIL RIGHTS VETERANS Thursday August 15, 2002 CHILD IN COMA Kyle Mc Monagle, the two and a half year-old grandson of political prisoner Ciaran McLaughlin, Derry, currently incarcerated at HMP Maghaberry has drifted into a coma. Appeals for Ciaran to be released on compassion parole were lodged officially at10 am on Wednesday. The child has been hospitalised from birth suffering with a very severe form of hydrocephalus. So far the authorities at the prison and NIO have not responded in spite of this fact being conveyed by a chief paediatrician, at Altnagelvin Hospital, as well as family members. The child's grandmother has requested the Oct.5th Association (composed of 1968 civil rights veterans) to take up this case first thing on Friday morning in a bid to obtain compassionate parole. UPDATE – Friday August 16, 2002 The local media have expressed a keen interest in this issue. Ciaran McL [in HMP Maghaberry] was permitted to speak at length with the civil rights veterans office seeking information on what type of support was forthcoming to secure compassionate parole. Many leading figures, including the Mayor. Cllr. Anne McCloskey, and RC Bishop of Derry, Dr. Seamus Hegarty, have been contacted on this matter. The family, including Kyle's grandmother, Mrs. Bernie McLaughlin are taking turns to be at Kyle's bedsit, throughout the day, and during the night-time. ENDS ************************************************ For more information on the tragic situation for Ciaran McLaughlin, please see: IFC NewsList, June 2002 – Continuing Abuse to the Familiy of Ciaran McLaughlin http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/june_2002.htm#Continuing%20Abuse IFC NewsList, May 2002—Statement by Bernie McLaughlin http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/may_2002.htm#Statement%20by%20Bernie%20McLaughlin IFC NewsList, April 2002 – More on POW Ciaran McLaughlin http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/april_2002.htm#More%20on%20POW%20Kieran%20McLaughlin ************************************************ JOIN THE IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE! See our website at www.irishfreedomcommittee.net, or e-mail us at Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| DISPATCH FROM IFC POW DEPT. IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: URGENT HELP NEEDED– Aidan Hulme Date: 08 13 02 The Irish Freedom Committee is urgently asking for your help to see that Aidan Hulme is given immediate and desperately needed medical attention to prevent the amputation of his lower leg. Aidan Hulme, 25, is an Irish prisoner held in Britain’s Belmarsh Prison. He was injured in an automobile accident before his imprisonment, and had been receiving medical care and much-needed pain medication. At Belmarsh he has suffered appallingly, being given only over-the-counter pain tablets and anti-depressants to treat his severe pain. Due to utter neglect his injuries have worsened to the degree that prison doctors have told him his lower leg will be amputated. Correspondence received today from the London 32 County Sovereignty Committee has informed us that Aidan has been visited in prison by a well-known orthopedic surgeon, who has found that his leg can be saved if he is operated on immediately. This surgeon has offered to operate on Aidan at a London hospital. However, the prison must first issue Aidan’s temporary emergency release. A letter of petition for compassionate release has been sent to the prison by Aidan’s solicitor, but we are asking for YOUR help today to guarantee that this release is granted. Please write, email, telephone or fax the offices below, requesting that Aidan Hulme be granted emergency temporary leave to a London hospital so that he may be given medical attention to prevent the amputation of his lower leg. Let the officials know that you are aware that a London orthopedic surgeon has visited Aidan, and has concluded that his leg can be saved if he is operated on immediately. For your convenience there is a SAMPLE LETTER below—copy and paste. U.S. Postage to Britain is US .80¢ for a 1-ounce letter. For more information on the desperate situation for Aidan Hulme go to: IFC Action Requests – Aidan Hulme http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/action_request.htm#Aidan%20Hulme IFC NewsList July 2002 – “Inhuman Neglect of Belmarsh Prisoner”: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/july_2002.htm#Inhuman%20Neglect%20of%20Belmarsh%20Prisoner Go raibh maith agat; The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ PLEASE WRITE/E-MAIL/FAX or TELEPHONE: ------------------------------- Home Secretary David Blunkett MP Home Office 50, Queen Ann's Gate London.WC1 SW1H 9AT England Telephone: (from US) 011 44 20 7219 4043 Or: (from US) 011 44 870 0001585 9am-5pm for General Enquiries (Please note time difference) Fax: (from US) 011 44 20 7273 2065 Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk ------------------------------- Directorate of Prison Medical Services Home Office Cleland House Page Street London SW1P 4LN Telephone: (from US) 011 44 207-217 3000 Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk ---------------------------------- Prison Reform Trust 15 Northburgh Street London EC1V OJR Telephone: (from US) 011 44 207 251 5070 ---------------------- SAMPLE LETTER – COPY AND PASTE. Dear _______________________; It has come to my attention that Aidan Hulme, an Irish prisoner being held at Belmarsh prison awaiting sentencing, is suffering with grave leg injuries and has been told by prison doctors that his lower leg will be amputated. I have learned today that an esteemed orthopedic surgeon has visited Aidan in prison and has found that amputation will not be necessary -- IF Aidan is immediately released to a London Hospital where this doctor may operate on him. I understand that this situation is critical, and that the doctor has said that time is of the essence if his leg is to be saved. I appeal to your compassion to see that this emergency medical release is granted as soon as possible. The courts will decide Aidan Hulme's sentencing, but surely no British institution would allow the willful medical neglect to a prisoner resulting in the loss of a limb. Yours very sincerely; _______________________________ (Name/address) ************************************************ For more information on Irish Republican Prisoners of War please visit us on the web at www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ JOIN THE IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE!!! E-mail us for more information: Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: FBI, MI5 ran Secret Informer Date: 08 11 02 In addition to being paid millions for his testimony and being granted full exoneration from Federal crimes he committed in the United States; the clandestine activities of informer David Rupert in the Irish Free State were hidden from Irish authorities by the FBI and Britain's MI5 for four years. As the circle of lies and deception which have followed David Rupert since his early years grows ever larger and more apparent in the eyes of the world, it is clear that any statements he has made to earn his keep can only be viewed as pure science fiction. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ Irish Voice 08 09 02 FBI, MI5 ran Secret Informer -by Liz Walsh in Dublin, Irish Abroad The FBI and the British intelligence agency, MI5, operated American spy David Rupert in the Republic of Ireland for four years without telling Irish authorities. Rupert is the key witness against Michael McKevitt, who will be tried in a Dublin court for directing terrorism. McKevitt is the alleged head of the real IRA, the Republican splinter group that carried out the Omagh bombing. Extensive intelligence documents seen by the Irish Voice reveal that that the FBI and MI5 deliberately withheld information on Rupert's activities from the Irish Garda (police) from late 1996 until 2000. This may prove highly embarrassing for the Garda Siochana when the information emerges in the course of the trial, expected to be the most important terrorist trial in the Republic in decades. One document from October 2000 states, 'The fact that AGS (Gardai) were kept in the dark about source for so long and no authorization from RoI (Republic of Ireland) authorities will have serious implications for future proceedings against target (McKevitt.)' The documents indicate that it was MI5 ' not the Gardai ' who drove the intelligence operation against McKevitt and that initially, Rupert pleaded with the FBI and MI5 not to put him on the stand. 'I have no intention of me being used as a witness,' he told his MI5 handlers via e-mail the year before McKevitt's arrest in late March 2001. MI5's response of May 2000 stated, 'We have no plan on asking you to testify . . . That is not to say that we could not plan and execute one of the most meaningful cases in the history of Irish terrorism . . . I want you to read the section on testifying in the new contract. It would be worth your while to consider testifying against McKevitt.' The intelligence documents show that David Rupert ' FBI informant 524854N2 ' began receiving payments from the FBI in 1994, initially in the form of expenses. His recruitment followed the investigation into his alleged fraud and smuggling operations which the FBI appeared to be holding over his head. By 2000, he was on FBI and MI5 payrolls and had received the equivalent of $4 million for infiltrating the Real IRA and another dissident group, the Continuity IRA. Rupert was also involved in negotiations with the FBI over a $900,000 demand from the Internal Revenue Service. In correspondence with the FBI, he admits to giving the IRS a false address in Bundoran, Co. Donegal 'to keep them at bay.' The documentation suggests that this debt was a major issue and that he was holding out on testifying until it was sorted out. In May 2000, he told the FBI, 'I need you to look at my tax problem before I consider testifying.' It was eventually settled for $25,000. From 1994 until early 1996, Rupert worked for the FBI, reporting to FBI handler Ed Buckley on American Irish support groups, including the Irish Freedom Committee (IFC). The IFC was aligned to Republican Sinn Féin, a Republican splinter group that split with Sinn Féin in 1986. In 1995, he took a lease on a pub in Co. Leitrim while forming links with Republicans, mainly in the Donegal area. The following February the FBI directed him to report to Detective Chief Superintendent (now assistant Garda commissioner) Dermot Jennings at Garda Headquarters in Dublin. Around this time, the FBI began to take a back seat. However, Rupert had a row with the Gardai over payments he falsely claims he was owed. The documentation refers to an argument over money between Rupert and a senior Garda officer that took place in the back of a bread van in October 1996. He returned to the U.S. and was redeployed by the FBI. Not only do the FBI appear to have backed Rupert in the dispute, but they also indicated that the Gardai were not competent to run agents such as Rupert. One comment reads, 'We should have been looking over our shoulders.' The following summer, the FBI directed Rupert to link up with an MI5 agent by the name of Norman in a central London hotel. Specifically, he was told 'not to go anywhere too public and come to Dermot Jennings' attention.' During this time he was briefed regularly by MI5 in London, traveled to Ireland to get whatever information was required, then flew back to London for a full debriefing. It appears, however, that some meetings between him and MI5 agents took place within the republic without the knowledge or authorization of the Republic's authorities. At some of these meetings, MI5 paid money to Rupert in Irish punts. At one briefing around September 1997, he was ordered to find out if 'Slab' Murphy, the alleged chief of staff of the Provisional IRA, was wavering over the Provisionals' peace strategy. As a cover, he was told to use the name of a television journalist in Chicago who was interested in broadcasting a program on the Irish peace process. The Real IRA was formed following the IRA split that October. By 1999, Rupert had apparently worked his way into the heart of the organization. In Michael McKevitt's trial in the non-jury Special Criminal Court next February, Rupert will claim that he attended Army Council meetings at which McKevitt was present. He will further allege that the prominent Republican asked him to acquire equipment for the dissident organization. In mid June 2000 ' four months before he agreed to testify ' MI5 contacted Rupert saying they expected an imminent breakdown in the Loyalist ceasefire and suggested that some Catholic fatalities would suit British intelligence. 'We need you to prompt McKevitt and others on how OnE (Oglaigh na hEireann) would react. This situation would suit us all; the Loyalists kill a few Catholics, one could react, you get us the details and you get your bonus.' MI5 documentation further shows that Rupert demanded '5 million to testify against McKevitt: 'When discussing the possibility of giving evidence against McKevitt, source stated that it was dependent on him receiving '5million.' That figure is further referred to ' 'He says he wants '5 million for his testimony to be'-' (The following text is blacked out.) There is nothing in the documentation to show that Rupert was in fact paid to give evidence against Michael McKevitt, but by October he had 'tentatively agreed to testify.' This agreement was conditional 'on the right financial terms' being reached, he stated. Ultimately it is up to the court to assess the credibility of Rupert. The state is expected to strongly refute allegations that his testimony was obtained by threats or inducements. McKevitt is charged with membership of the IRA between August 1999 and March 2001 and with directing the activities of the same organization. The directing charge carries a penalty of life imprisonment. In general, the opinion of a Garda chief superintendent is sufficient to sustain a membership charge, but the state's case on the directing charge rests totally on the testimony of Rupert. ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
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NEWSLIST www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ----------------------------- Subject: American Supporters: Hold Firm! Date: 08 02 02 The article below appears in this week’s issue of “The Blanket” at http://lark.phoblacht.net/holdfirmnf.html The Irish Freedom Committee® ************************************************ From “The Blanket” August 2, 2002 Hold Firm
- The author is a member of the Irish Freedom Committee |