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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Maghaberry UPDATE – Political Status partially recognized Date: Monday September 22, 2003 Items to follow: 1. Maghaberry UPDATE – Political Status partially recognized 2. Letter from O/C Republican Prisoners to IFC The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ Irish Freedom Committee NewsList Monday September 22, 2003 -------------- Maghaberry UPDATE – Political Status partially recognized -------------- GOOD NEWS FROM MAGHABERRY After months of reporting on dire conditions at Maghaberry prison; including numerous incidents of brutal assaults on republican prisoners, wholesale death threats by loyalist paramilitaries, and finally the dreaded possibility of Hunger Strikes; the Irish Freedom Committee is finally able to relay good news from Maghaberry Prison. It has been confirmed to us that 22 republican prisoners have been moved to temporary accommodations in Foyle House, where they will be held until new accommodations are available. It is understood that new, separate accommodations have been promised to the men within the next three months. At Foyle House the republican prisoners are being held together as a unit and are at present not in any danger from loyalist death squads. The move took place prior to last week’s takeover of Bann House by the loyalist Reich at the prison, and thus none of the men were harmed in that incident. DEMANDS FOR SEGREGATION, SPOKESPERSON RECOGNIZED In recognizing the right of the republican prisoners to be held separately on a wing of their own away from the loyalist death squads, the prison has averted a deadly course of protest; with Hunger Strikes planned for the coming weeks had inaction on the prison’s behalf continued as violence against republican prisoners escalated. Furthermore, in a development that has greatly encouraged the prisoners and their human rights representatives on the outside, the Maghaberry prison governor has unofficially recognized the prisoners’ right to a spokesperson. During the discussions for segregation, which included the full participation of the prisoners’ recognized human rights spokespersons on the outside, the Governor of Maghaberry Prison approached republican prisoners’ Officer Commanding John James Connolly, saying “I understand you are the spokesperson”. These developments have greatly encouraged all of the republican prisoners who are said to be “very happy”, and have also pleased their human rights representatives on the outside, who have worked tirelessly to push for the urgent segregation of the prisoners and to avoid any more body bags coming out of the prisons. THANK YOU The Irish Freedom Committee wishes to sincerely thank all of our Members and supporters who so generously gave of your time to participate in our e-mail and letter campaigns on behalf of the Maghaberry republican prisoners. Over the past several months we have seen a great response to our efforts from across the U.S. and around the world by our Members and supporters, who can be credited in no small part with helping to keep the pressure at the door of the prison administration to ensure basic HUMAN RIGHTS for the republican prisoners in their custody. We continue to join the republican prisoners in their demands for POLITICAL STATUS, which are: 1. Immediate segregation 2. Group representation 3. The right to elect a spokesperson for each republican group 4. The provision of a separate wing The Irish Freedom Committee will continue to closely monitor the situation at Maghaberry Prison in the coming months. We remain confident that should we need your help again, our Members and supporters will rise to the occasion as you so admirably have in this case. GO RAIBH MAITH AGAT; The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net *************************** LETTER FROM J.J. CONNOLLY TO THE IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE. The following letter to the Irish Freedom Committee was sent from O.C. JOHN JAMES CONNOLLY to the attention of all of our Members and supporters, dated September 4th 2003-- prior to the recent moves to Foyle House. John Connolly has valiantly represented the prisoners’ demands since being appointed to Officer Commanding at Maghaberry Prison. In May John utilized a chance encounter with Secretary of State Paul Murphy, on a visit to the prison, to present the republican prisoners demands directly to the British Government. John has twice been brutally attacked by loyalist prisoners, most recently in a gang attack using a smuggled gun. On his landing at Bann House he was outnumbered by loyalists twelve to one, and had lived there under constant death threat since early this year. ----------------- Maghaberry Prison Thursday 4th September 2003 “”Dear Irish Freedom Committee members and supporters; “Well I suppose you have already been told of the attempt on my life here in Maghaberry by loyalists, who attacked me and another Republican prisoner who had come to my aid. I was badly cut and bruised all over my body and so was the other Republican, who also got a bad gash to his head. There were 8 or 9 loyalists involved in the assault (and a gun that jammed). I have lost all faith in the medical staff here because I wasn’t even taken for an X-ray after being assaulted and hit around the head. I was bandaged up and sent back to my cell. “The tension here at the minute is at the boiling point, like a tinderbox ready to explode at any minute and all Republicans are now on full alert for all eventualities. There are a lot of people very angry with (the attack) … it shows the cowards who attacked me as what they really are; Pro British Death Squads….. It is my personal belief that this attempt was ordered at the highest levels of British Military Intelligence to silence me once and for all as I have been told by reliable sources that I am a thorn in their side…. People outside believe that thus was a state-sponsored attempt on my life. But they will not now or ever will silence me, I was born a Republican and will die one. “Thankfully we have the Irish Freedom Committee who are doing a magnificent job on our behalf, to spread the sceal on the current situation we find ourselves in here at Maghaberry Gaol. “Please send forth my warmest greetings and best wishes from all of the lads here in Maghaberry Prison to all of our supporters and comrades in America and Canada. May God bless you. “Is mise le meas, (An Phoblacht Abú!) John James Connolly O/C Republican Prisoners Maghaberry Gaol” September 4, 2003 ************************************************ WRITE TO IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS www.irishfreedomcommittee - click on POWs ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
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IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Loyalist prisoners attempt to take over Maghaberry Prison Date: Sunday September 14, 2003 UTV News |
IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Prisoners to continue dirty protest until separated - SBP Date: Sunday September 14, 2003 More links below: -------------------------- "The prisoners have said they'll not believe it till they're moved," said Lorraine Corr, partner of remand prisoner Kevin Murphy. "They still don't trust the authorities." --------------------------- Sunday Business Post Sunday September 14, 2003 Prisoners to continue dirty protest until separated 14/09/03 00:00 By Anton McCabe Nineteen republican prisoners on a dirty protest in the North's Maghaberry Prison said they would continue their action until republican and loyalist prisoners were separated, as recommended in the Steele Review. A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Prison Service said there was no definite timetable for the implementation of the proposal. The review on the safety of staff and prisoners in Maghaberry was drawn up last month by John Steele, former head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, assisted by Fr Kevin Donaghy, former chaplain at the Maze Prison, and Canon Barry Dodds, former chaplain at Belfast Prison. The North's security minister, Jane Kennedy, announced last week that the British government had accepted the review's recommendation that republican and loyalist paramilitary prisoners should be accommodated separately from each other and from the rest of the prison population on a voluntary basis within Maghaberry. However, a spokesman for the Prison Service said Steele had not spelled out how separation was to be implemented. "The prisoners have said they'll not believe it till they're moved," said Lorraine Corr, partner of remand prisoner Kevin Murphy. "They still don't trust the authorities." Republicans are outnumbered ten to one by loyalists in the prison, but prisoners are housed on the same landings and can be asked to share cells. Mo Courtney, the leader of the Shankill Road UDA, was put into the same cell as a republican dissident from Derry. "Cells in Maghaberry prison are unsuitable for holding two prisoners, except perhaps those serving very short sentences," the Steele Review said. There have also been ongoing problems with sniffer dogs, which are used to prevent drugs being brought into the prison. Republican prisoners have sought a judicial review of the practice, claiming that a dog wrongly identified visitors as drug users. The review recognised "problems relating to the passive drug dogs and the use of closed visits. In addition, families allege that prison officers' attitude to them is very much less than satisfactory". It also pointed out that newspapers for prisoners could only be ordered and bought in Maghaberry village, where some nationalist families feel uncomfortable because of loyalist flags and symbols. It recommended that a second newspaper supplier be identified at a neutral location. The review also recommended that: "in ser ious cases, removal of a prisoner to another jurisdiction might be considered". The Prison Service spokesman was unable to explain the meaning of this recommendation. ************************************************ 09 09 03 - “Implement Segregation Immediately!” http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/september_2003.htm#implement_segregation_immediately 09 08 03 - 'Separation' for Irish political prisoners - STEELE REPORT RESULTS http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/september_2003.htm#'separation'_STEELEFINDINGS 02 25 03 – IFC REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY PRISON http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/february_2003.htm#REPORT_FROM_MAGHABERRY ************************************************ IFC Action Request – MAGHABERRY PRISON Please send an email to the NIO and NIPS – Demand SEGREGATION for Irish republican political prisoners. Short SAMPLE LETTER and contact info HERE: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/july_2003.htm#action_request_maghaberry ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: New appeal over disappearance of Gareth O'Connor Date: Thursday September 11, 2003 New appeal over disappearance of Gareth O'Connor |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: “Implement Segregation Immediately!” Date: Tuesday September 9, 2003 Following the release of the Steele Report yesterday, calls from prisoners’ rights groups in Belfast are to “Implement Segregation Immediately!” In a statement released to the media today, prisoners’ rights spokesperson Martin Mulholland said: “(We) welcome the fact that the British government have conceded that the segregation (separation) of republicans and loyalists within Maghaberry gaol is the only sensible course of action to take to resolve the current friction, however until segregation is implemented these concessions are only words. The dangers faced by republicans in Maghaberry are not any less because the British say they are going to separate, but will only diminish when words become deeds.” Regarding past promises and dealings with the Northern Ireland Office Mr. Mulholland said; “Republicans have learned from bitter experience the duplicity of the NIO and the British government and will take nothing for granted until it actually happens. “It is (our understanding) that the republican prisoners will continue the no wash/dirty protest until they are satisfied that segregation (separation) is fully implemented and that the British government and the NIO are not trying to hoodwink them as they did to the hunger strikers in 1980. “(We) believe that it is in the interests of all concerned that segregation (separation) is implemented immediately. The ability to segregate large numbers of prisoners at short notice is a matter of record, as the protesting prisoners know only to well, and if this ability is matched by a willingness then this issue can be resolved quickly and with minimum disruption. “(We) urge the Prison Service, the NIO and the British government to act now to reassure republicans that this is not another of the false dawns that republican prisoners have had to endure throughout history, we also salute the continuing determination of the republican prisoners and are confident that this determination will enable them to achieve their ultimate objectives.” The Irish Freedom Committee stands wholeheartedly behind republican prisoners’ demands for IMMEDIATE SEGREGATION as a HUMAN RIGHT and for the FULL RETURN of POLITICAL STATUS. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ IFC Action Request – MAGHABERRY PRISON Please send an email to the NIO and NIPS – Demand SEGREGATION for Irish republican political prisoners. Short SAMPLE LETTER and contact info HERE: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/july_2003.htm#action_request_maghaberry ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: 'Separation' for Irish political prisoners - STEELE REPORT RESULTS Date: Monday September 8, 2003 The Irish Freedom Committee wishes to note that it remains to be seen what the terms of 'separation' will be, and if these conditions will properly address current concerns safety by the prisoners. More news soon, watch this space. For full text of the Steele Report recommendations click HERE: http://www.nio.gov.uk/pdf/steelerep.pdf
The Irish Freedom Committee® UTV News |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Calls for release of Steel Report findings Date: Saturday September 6, 2003
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| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Steele report and media speculation Date: Wednesday September 3, 2003 The Irish Freedom Committee cautions our Members and supporters to view early reports of segregation being granted to prisoners at Maghaberry, including one in yesterday’s Derry Journal, as premature as yet and without real substance. While we remain hopeful that the still unreleased Steele Report does indeed recommend the immediate segregation of republican and loyalist prisoners, as the early reports seem to indicate; the onus will remain on the Prisons Service to act upon these safety recommendations in a timely and humane manner. As recently as last week, two republican prisoners at Maghaberry were surrounded and viciously attacked by an armed gang of loyalist prisoners. Given the existing and highly volatile conditions, it will also remain to be seen what the conditions of proposed “separation” might be. “Clustering” of prisoners on an assignment basis by the prison may be no step forward. We encourage continued vigilance into the implementation of safety measures, including the immediate segregation of all republican political prisoners, as the details of the Steele review become public over the next few days. For the sake of all of the families and their loved ones, we sincerely hope that good news for all concerned will indeed follow in days to come. The Irish Freedom Committee remains firmly behind the republican prisoners rightful demands for SEGREGATION and a return to FULL POLITICAL STATUS. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ WRITE TO IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS www.irishfreedomcommittee.net -- click on “POWs” ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Maghaberry segregation recommended – Sunday Times Date: Monday September 1, 2003 The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ The Sunday Times - Ireland August 31, 2003 Maghaberry segregation recommended LIAM CLARKE SEGREGATION of loyalist and republican prisoners in Maghaberry is recommended on security grounds in a review of Northern Ireland’s largest jail. The review will be presented this week to Paul Murphy, the Northern Ireland secretary of state, by John Steele, who was head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service from 1987 to 1992 and is a former head of security policy at the Northern Ireland Office. Segregation in Maghaberry would raise fears of a Maze-type regime. In the H-Blocks, paramilitary leaders, who were referred to as officers commanding, ran their own wings with the co-operation of the prison staff who visited only by appointment. The Prison Officers’ Association is opposed to any move towards segregation but Steele is expected to say that separating the main factions and putting them into different areas of the prison is the best way to maintain order. The forthcoming change of policy is being quietly welcomed by unionist and nationalist politicians who fear the protests by dissident republican and loyalist prisoners have the capacity to destabilise the peace process and weaken the Sinn Fein leadership. There have already been violent clashes between rival factions in Maghaberry. A gun has been used by loyalists, while some of the jail’s 36 dissident republicans have staged an H-Block style dirty protest. There are fears that this could escalate into a hunger strike, with prisoners’ representatives winning seats in the assembly elections. David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, has warned that the protests in Maghaberry are making it more difficult for Sinn Fein and the IRA to move on decommissioning and disbandment, which have been requested by the British and Irish governments. Trimble said: “It seems to me that there is no prospect of IRA movement, partly because they will be using the turmoil within the Unionist party as an excuse for not moving, but also because they are concerned about the Maghaberry situation. “What are Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness going to say if someone goes on hunger strike or if hunger strike people go up for election? They will be terrified about something like that giving the Real IRA a leg up.” Trimble needs the IRA to make a move to bolster his leadership of the Ulster Unionist party, which comes under scrutiny at a meeting of the Ulster Unionist council next Saturday. If he falls, progress towards the return of power sharing between nationalists and unionists is likely to be stalled for years. ************************************************ IFC Action Request – MAGHABERRY PRISON Please send an email to the NIO and NIPS – Demand SEGREGATION for Irish republican political prisoners. Short SAMPLE LETTER and contact info HERE: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/july_2003.htm#action_request_maghaberry ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |
| IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE® NEWSLIST ----------------------------- Subject: Date set for hunger strike at Maghaberry Date: Monday September 1, 2003 A date has been set for hunger strike at Maghaberry next month. Prison action, following the release of a safety review of conditions at the prison this week, will be a deciding factor in preventing this dreadful outcome. Early reports are that the safety review will recommend segregation for republican prisoners as an immediate safety concern. Please continue to write and email the Prisons Service at the links below to demand IMMEDIATE SEGREGATION for republican prisoners, many of whom have been viciously assaulted by loyalist paramilitaries and are living under constant death threat. The Irish Freedom Committee® www.irishfreedomcommittee.net ************************************************ http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=438871 Belfast Telegraph Dissidents To Pull A Fast One Republicans set a date for hunger strike as segregation push steps up By Stephen Breen DIEHARD renegade republicans at Ulster's top jail have vowed to embark on a hunger strike, next month. We understand the leaders of the Real and Continuity IRA, in Maghaberry, have already selected a date to begin the latest phase of their protest against the Prison Service's refusal to adopt a policy of segregation, at the crisis-hit prison. Although dissident republicans are still engaged in a dirty protest at the jail, it is believed a hunger strike will be announced early next month, unless the Government makes a dramatic U-turn. The republicans held a series of secret meetings at Maghaberry last week, to draw up their battle plan, where they agreed to set a date. The last time a hunger strike was held at an Ulster prison was in 1981. Then, 10 republicans at the Maze died, following the Government's refusal to grant them political status. Tensions are running high at Maghaberry, and it is hoped the publication of the Steele Report into the issue of safety at the jail, will stall the dissidents' hunger strike tactic. The Steele review was announced by the Government earlier this year, and a number of recommendations for improvement at Maghaberry are expected to be made after its publication. Marion Price, spokeswoman for the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association, told Sunday Life that a date had been confirmed for the hunger strike. She said: "The threat of a hunger strike is always there - but it is entirely up to the prisoners. "A date has been selected for the commencement of a hunger strike, and this will only be cancelled if the Government moves on the segregation issue. "The last thing anyone wants to see is a hunger strike, and the prisoners are waiting to see if the situation can be resolved. "I'm not going to speculate about the date for the hunger strike. If it goes ahead, I've no doubt there will be massive support for the prisoners. "The hunger strike would be supported as a human rights issue, and there has always been a distinction between this and a prisoner's politics." A spokesman for the Prison Service refused to comment on the prospect of a hunger strike at Maghaberry. Added the spokesman: "We can't comment on what republican inmates may or may not be planning to engage in over the next few weeks. "The Steele review of Maghaberry will be published soon, and maybe the prisoners will wait before they do anything." ************************************************ IFC Action Request – MAGHABERRY PRISON Please send an email to the NIO and NIPS – Demand SEGREGATION for Irish republican political prisoners. Short SAMPLE LETTER and contact info HERE: http://members.freespeech.org/irishpows/bb3/july_2003.htm#action_request_maghaberry ************************************************ © The Irish Freedom Committee® NewsList - IFC Updates |