Maghaberry Prison
Irish Freedom Committee Report from Maghaberry Gaol – June 2006
On recent visits with Irish republican political prisoners at Maghaberry Prison in the Occupied North of Ireland; Irish Freedom Committee members found human rights violations at their worst in recent memory.
On June 08 and 09 2006, members of the Irish Freedom Committee met with Irish republican political prisoners interned at Roe House in Maghaberry prison in the Occupied North of Ireland, to hear allegations of skyrocketing human rights abuses inside the jail. Our representatives were presented with a shameful body of evidence on the desperate and worsening situation for dozens of Irish political prisoners at the facility maintained by a supposedly civilized government. Among the more blatant charges included evidence of a whole-scale system of judicial abuse leading to mass internment of political dissidents based on fabricated forensic evidence; ongoing evidence of blatantly racist treatment by an overtly loyalist prison staff; inhumane confinement conditions of up to 23 hours a day lockdown inside tiny and airless prison cells; rotten and spoilt food served regularly with a near total lack of fresh fruits and vegetables; hazardous and deadly exercise facilities including cramped and unventilated facilities infested with bird excrement; extreme abuse of full body and strip searches entailing frequent use of possibly radioactive X-Ray wands, and worse yet , extreme and malicious efforts to criminalize and intimidate family members who come to visit them.
A partial list of ongoing human rights abuses to republican prisoners at Maghaberry jail are:
- Forced 22-23 hours a day cell lockdown for republican prisoners.
- Meals must be taken in cells within inches of open toilet.
- Unsanitary and unhealthy exercise facilities in a tiny and crowded “bird cage” yard covered with bird excrement.
- Medical care available only one day a week.
- Unacceptable lack of fresh fruit and vegetables. Spoilt and rotten fruit served only five times a week.
- Lack of educational facilities – empty computer rooms for show only.
- Classes offered to men include yoga and hairdressing – no valid education.
- Families routinely refused visits by use of sniffer drugs dog despite prison’s own admission that drugs have never been found on republican prisoners or their families.
- Families repeatedly fingerprinted on visits up to five times in one visit.
- Frequent strip searches of up to a dozen times a day.
- Frequent use of possibly radioactive X-ray metal detector leading to complaints of back pains.
- Microphones and cameras throughout facilities including possibly in showers.
On our visits on June 08-09 Irish Freedom Committee representatives were advised in confidence that protests were soon to commence in response to the litany of human rights abuses the republican prisoners have had been faced with in recent months. . We were told that all of the republican prisoners in the jail were united in strength on this issue and that things had gone far enough; that there was no more room to negotiate short of meeting brute force with united resistance. Sadly as of the past two days we are now witnessing the beginning of what may soon become a horrific repeat of history which does not bear thinking of-- the lives of many young Irish Republican prisoners-- Sons, fathers and husbands many of them-- in danger for their immediate survival in a protest for the most basic of human rights.
We ask that our members and supporters please act TODAY in demanding that these conditions be rectified before more men have to die for their basic human rights in a British jail. We will have further Action Requests in the coming days regarding the appalling and dangerous conditions at Maghaberry Prison – please stay tuned to our emails. We urge that you continue to send cards and letters of encouragement to the republican POWs who need our support more than ever in the coming weeks. For a list of republican POWs see the Irish Freedom Committee website at http://www.irishfreedomcommittee.net - click on POWs.
EMERGENCY STATEMENT FROM MAGHABERRY PRISON
Irish Freedom Committee ACTION REQUEST
Monday April 10, 2007
In an emergency message from Maghaberry prison this morning the Irish
Freedom Committee has learned there was a clash with screws on wings
Easter morning Maghaberry prison and fifteen republican POWs are now
charged with wearing Easter lilies.
The message stated that the republican prisoners were forced to run a
gauntlet of over twenty prison staff standing. The staff wouldn't
allow the men out for food, Easter visits or exercise as they were
wearing Easter lilies.
The prisoners told the IFC:
"We stated quite clearly that under the Flags and Emblems Act and
under Equality issue we are allowed to wear our Easter lilies to
remember our patriot dead, just like they (staff and loyalist
prisoners) are allowed to wear their poppies. They said 'There's no
rules in here, we call the shots.' The screws were very aggressive
and looking for confrontation. There's fifteen prisoners now charged
with wearing an Easter lily This is total disgrace. This is 2007, not
1977; that's what we told them."
"They are refusing us out to yards, they've given us no food, no grub,
they refused to let us out of the cells because we're wearing an
Easter lily."
The prisoners decried the deteriorating conditions at Maghaberry.
"The provocation, intimidation, and victimization of republicans in
this day and age is a total disgrace. You have Gerry Adams allowed to
wear an Easter lily in a government building to meet Ian Paisley. Yet
Republicans are not allowed to wear an Easter lily to commemorate our
dead."
IFC ACTION REQUEST
We ask that our supporters immediately contact the NIO and Prison
governor at Maghaberry and protest the unwarranted aggression against
Republican prisoners. There is a Sample Letter below, use as is or
modify in your own words.
1. Enter the following email addresses in your email "TO" bar:
info@niprisonservice.gov.uk, press.nio@nics.gov.uk
Subject: "Maghaberry prison Easter aggression"
2. Copy and paste the suggested text below into your email body
3. Add your name and location to the text.
4. SEND
---------------- SAMPLE LETTER COPY & PASTE ---------------------
MAGHABERRY PRISON
Mr. Alan Longwell - Governor
Upper Ballinderry Road
Lisburn, Co. Antrim
BT28 2PT
NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE
Mr. Peter Hain - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Block B
Castle Buildings
Belfast BT4 3STGTN
NORTHERN IRELAND PRISON SERVICE
Mr. Robin Masefield - Director General
Room 321
Prison Service Headquarters
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Belfast BT4 3SU
Dear sir,
We are writing to protest the aggressive treatment of the republican
prisoners at Roe house yesterday morning, Easter Sunday. We have
learned that the republican prisoners were forced to run a gauntlet of
over twenty guards yesterday and have been denied food, visits and
exercise because they wore Easter lilies.
It is unacceptable that prison guards and loyalist inmates can openly
wear enormous poppies for Remembrance day in November, yet the
republican prisoners are annually treated to abuse and punishment for
wearing small Easter lilies to commemorate their patriot dead.
We remain concerned over the deteriorating conditions at Maghaberry
prison. We will continue to closely monitor this situation.
Sincerely,
NAME/ADDRESS
MAGHABERRY PRISON CRISIS ESCALATES
June 30, 2006
Irish Republican political prisoners at Maghaberry contacted the Irish Freedom Committee today to deliver the ominous news that an ongoing protest at the jail has escalated, with 32 republicans of three different organizations now refusing to eat in their cells.
As documented in our earlier IFC Report from Maghaberry (06/21/06), the selective and inhumane internment conditions at the jail order that republican prisoners eat their meals next to open toilets while confined in their airless cells - a filthy and inhumane provision, and one which the republican prisoners have now united in refusing to accept.
A republican prisoner has today told us:
“Whole organizations (in the jail) have come together … nobody is eating food in their cells at all. There are 32 republicans on landings from three different organizations who are refusing to eat their dinner in their cells. We are looking to eat in the canteen and they are not letting us down to eat in the canteen. They’re trying to make us eat it in their cells where there’s a toilet and all. Morale is good among everyone … it’s good to see that everyone is doing the same thing, singing off the same hymn sheet. We’re just waiting for the next stage… Please tell everyone from the IFC we’re keeping our spirits up. We won’t break or we won’t falter… We’re OK.”
We ask that all of our members and supporters write TODAY to the addresses below and demand an immediate end to the barbaric practice of having men confined in a bathroom to eat. These men are held in one of the highest security jails in Europe and there is no reason why they cannot take their meals in the canteen as other prisoners are allowed to do.
TAKE ACTION
Copy and paste the sample letter below or use your own words. Please send one copy to the Northern Ireland Prison Service at info@niprisonservice.gov.uk, and enter one copy in the contact form at the NIO offices at http://www.nio.gov.uk/index/contact-us/enquiry-form.htm.
