LIAM LYNCH/PATSY DUFFY CUMANN DERRY CITY
BEIR BUA
The honest voice of Republicanism
POW Issue MAY-JUNE 2010
Maghaberry Conditons Deteriorate
Throughout the Anglo-Irish conflict the British have regularly
resorted to inhumane treatment and barbaric attacks on
Republican POWs in an attempt to criminalise them, break their
resolve and as a consequence quell resistance to their colonial
occupation of Ireland. The battle within the prison walls
between the POWs and the Brits has been a major one in the
pursuit of Irish freedom and one which stirs deep emotions in
the hearts of Republicans. The significance of events in prisons
like Kilmainham, Crumlin Road, Long Kesh and jails in Britain
like Brixton have a profound
significance in the history of
Republicanism.
Presently, in Maghaberry prison the
British have intensified their efforts to
break the spirit of Republican POWs by
abusing and mistreating prisoners in a
manner which is becoming more brutal
and violent by the day. The regime in
Maghaberry is naturally vindictive in its
very essence towards Republican POWs
and is dictated by the loyalist Prison
Officers Association and its bigoted
screws.
The basic necessities of human life such
as washing, eating and sleeping is being
severely disrupted and all too often
being completely denied to Republican
prisoners. Food is served late, cold and
a through a six inch gap in the cell door
like animals being fed at a zoo. The food
is being served and eating in the most
unhygienic conditions and there has also
been instances were it has been tampered with causing the men
to be violently ill. Some of the time the men have been refused
food altogether for lengthy periods of time. In a recent incident
the screws brought fresh drinking water to the cells of
Republican POWs but then proceeded to pour it all over beds,
saturating the mattresses and denying the men sleep. Prisoners
have also seen their clothes confiscated and had the remaining
clothes also soaked with water. Also electrical appliances and
sockets were doused with water in anticipation of Republican
POWs using them. This is being viewed as an obvious attempt to
cause the electrocution of prisoners. Also prisoners are being
refused access to warm water needed for washing and shaving.
Strip searching is a daily reality for POWs.
In recent weeks two prisoners have been badly beaten by the
screws, Turlough Mc Allister from Armagh and Harry
Fitzsimmons from Belfast. Turlough Mc Allister was viciously
set upon for no apparent reason by a gang of screws who had
Derry32csm@hotmail.com
him under controlled movement as he walked along the landing.
Harry Fitzsimmons was subjected to a brutal assault as he was
dragged to the punishment block where he was handcuffed to a
bed and was stripped of his clothing. The British prison
authorities have informed him that they intend him to spend the
remainder of his sentence, a total of three years, in the isolation
block. Those prisoners who had witnessed the savage beating of
Harry proceeded to wreck their cells in protest at the abuse
being meted out to their comrade. Since then, the prisoners have
been denied the use of toilet
facilities resulting in them having to
urinate on the floor and defecate in
bags. When the screws come to the
cell with food, the POWs make an
effort to get the bag containing the
waste out of the cell and onto the
landing. However, it is tossed back
in to the cell with the food. The
sanitation problems that these turn
of events raises is obvious and is
already contributing to ill health
amongst prisoners.
The campaign of physical and
psychological warfare which the
Brits have unleashed against
Republican prisoners knows no
moral boundaries and they see the
families and visitors of the POWs as
fair game. Whilst the RUC/PSNI
continue unabated in their normal
business of harassing and
intimidating the families of
Republicans, it is obvious that their colleagues in the prison force
are following their lead fervently. When loved ones and families
members book a visit it is far from certain that they will actually
get one, and the instances of visits being refused is increasing.
The whole experience of visitors at the jail is made as unpleasant
as possible for the families of Republicans. Families have to
present them, including young children, in front of a dog which
sniffs around the visitors to detect illegal drugs. This is a
deliberate insult to Republicans whose opposition to drugs and
activism against the drugs problem is well documented and as
successful as anyones in the community at present. A partner of
a Republican prisoner has informed the 32 csm that her
forthcoming visit has been cancelled as a punishment after his
being involved in a protest over conditions.
Continued overleaf
 The situation in Maghaberry is terrible. The men are being
tortured mentally and physically and when we are lucky enough
to get a visit it is obvious from their appearance that their health
is being damaged by the conditions. It takes a whole day to
prepare and travel for a visit, the worry of having somebody
living in these conditions is bad enough but it is all the more
compounded when you are not allowed to visit them. The
disappointment of going through all the searches and the sniffer
dog and then getting turned away at the door of the visiting
centre is particularly telling on children.” she told the 32 csm.
By all accounts the morale of the Republican prisoners is high
despite all that is ranged against them. Reports from the jail
show that they remained focussed on what they have to resist
and that their resilience is having an effect on their enemies. This
would account for the higher degrees of violence and brutality
that the British prison authorities are sanctioning against the
prisoners in Maghaberry as they are becoming increasingly
Some of the Prison officers who are at the forefront of
this brutality and criminalisation process are;
David Kennedy Marion Johnson
James Mc Farland Alan Craig
her
Jean Andrews
ed
And
Senior officer Anthony Laverick
desparate in their efforts to break the spirits of our men behind
the wire. Attempts to criminalise Republican prisoners will fail,
because everyone (especially the British) knows that they are not
criminals. Recently we have seen pompous fools like David Ford
rowing in behind his British masters blaming the prisoners for
the conditions in Maghaberry. There is a sustained campaign by
the Brits to try and isolate the prisoners not only from their
families but also the wider community from where they come.
Republican ex-prisoners and the families of ex-POWs have a
duty to back the prisoners in Maghaberry in their demands for
conditions befitting political prisoners. Whether it is to attend
pickets in their support, help out in poster or leaflet campaigns
or help in anyway they must support the POWs. The POWs are
the ones who live every second of their lives at the mercy of
British forces. We on the outside who believe that they
shouldn’t be treated like criminals must do all we can on their
behalf.