BRENDAN LILLIS
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
TO FREE CRITICALLY ILL PRISONER AT MAGHABERRY JAIL
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NEW MAY 2011 - PRINT THIS LETTER -
SIGN IT - AND THEN PRINT TEXT FILE AND MAKE ADDRESS LABELS
1.
Sample letter - .pdf
document. Print 12x copies. Sign where indicated,
be sure to legibly provide return address. Mail copies to each of the
addressees in the text file below.
2.
Print a Petition -
pdf document. Print 2-3 pages and attach to a clipboard;
get your friends and neighbors to sign it. Mail copies to each of
the addressees in the text file below.
3. Addresses:
Text file
- This is a list of addresses you need to send copies of the letter
& petition to.
Be sure to check back soon - This info may change and expand.
PRINT this page, then use a scissors to cut out the individual addresses
and tape/glue, or hand address to SEND your multiple, signed copies to the people
who CAN be pushed enough to help FREE BRENDAN. |
Brendan Lillis (age 59) is
a severely ill Irish republican prisoner being held in Maghaberry jail
in urgent need of immediate release on humanitarian grounds, who needs
your help now. (Sample letter
below, sign
Petition)
Brendan was a former Maze
prisoner who served 16 years at Long Kesh, four of them on the blanket
protest, after his arrest in 1972 on political charges that led to five
life sentences. In 1994 Brendan was released on license and returned to
his West Belfast home, where he lived since his re-arrest in 2009.
Immediately on his re-arrest, the British government revoked Brendan’s
license, and he was returned to jail to complete the life sentences he
was given in 1972.
In reality what Brendan is
serving is a death sentence, as he is now so ill he cannot walk or stand
up and has been deemed unfit to stand trial. Brendan suffers from a
chronic medial condition called
ankylosing spondylitis; a painful and incurable condition which
cause the spine to fuse. This man, who entered jail in 2009 weighing 175
lbs, has now wasted to 82 lbs and has not left his bed at all since
January of this year. Previously to that he had been virtually confined
to bed rest since his arrest. While incurable, this condition can be
successfully treated with proper pain management and regular physical
therapy. Since December 2010, Brendan has received only four therapy
sessions, and his pain management can be considered questionable at
best. In January of this year, the High Court in Belfast ruled that
Brendan was not fit to stand trial and all charges were dropped against
him. Despite the ruling, he remains in the prison hospital at Maghaberry
jail.
Brendan is held in
isolation and has no contact with others. He gets no education, only one
phone call a day, and he has not seen daylight in months. At present his
loved ones are worried not only for his dire physical condition but also
his mental state as this torturous confinement continues with no
justifiable reason.
Brendan's physical safety is guaranteed
under the European Convention on Human Rights, and his continued
detention is in contraindication of Article 5, the Right to Liberty and
Security - specifically the duty the state owes Brendan to inform him of
the reason for his continued detention; and Article 6, the Right to a
Fair Trial. Brendan also has a protected right under the EU HR
Convention to the Provision of Medical Services under Article 2 the
Right to Life.
Please use the contact
information below to firmly and respectfully demand the immediate
release of Brendan Lillis on compassionate grounds. This man is a threat
to no-one in this condition, and his release is the right and humane
thing to do!
NO MORE
deaths by MEDICAL NEGLECT in British and Irish prisons!
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