IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE - REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY

Friday February 28, 2003 17:29

by Hebe

IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE - REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY Wednesday February 25, 2003 ---------------------- The situation at Maghaberry Prison is now as bad or worse than conditions were at Long Kesh before the hunger strikes of the 1980's. In addition, the prison is trying every method it can to break the prisoners' connection with their families through the fostering of a hostile and threatening visiting environment. Families with fathers or sons or husbands or brothers at Maghaberry must now bear the dual burden of enduring daily fears for the safety of their loved ones in prison; and the criminalization of their children and families as they are terrorized on visits to the prison.

IFC REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY PRISON
Date: 02 27 03

The following report was filed from Belfast this week.

The Irish Freedom Committee®
www.irishfreedomcommittee.net
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IRISH FREEDOM COMMITTEE - REPORT FROM MAGHABERRY
Wednesday February 25, 2003
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The situation at Maghaberry Prison is now as bad or worse than
conditions were at Long Kesh before the hunger strikes of the 1980's.
In addition, the prison is trying every method it can to break the
prisoners' connection with their families through the fostering of a
hostile and threatening visiting environment. Families with fathers or
sons or husbands or brothers at Maghaberry must now bear the dual burden

of enduring daily fears for the safety of their loved ones in prison;
and the criminalization of their children and families as they are
terrorized on visits to the prison.

On a visit to the prison last week, the Irish Freedom Committee found
the following:

QUAKER VISITOR'S CENTER CLOSED
The Quaker Visitors Center, open since the days of Internment in 1971,
has been closed within the past week without any warning or explanation.

The Quaker Center provided child care and a welcome cup of tea and a
resting place for families who must drive great distances to their
visits. A small sign on the building now advises that the Center is
closed until further notice. The Quaker Center also provided bus
service from the visitor's parking lot up to the gates, an uphill
distance of about 300 yards. Families with very young children or
elderly and infirm relatives must now make this long walk in all
weather, to stand outside the prison until the gates are opened.

FAMILY MEMBERS LOCKED IN HOLDING AREAS FOR OVER ONE HOUR
Recently a large group of visitors, including many young children, was
locked in a small holding area for over one hour while guards strolled
about outside. Repeated complaints were made over the intercom as young

children became terrified, but the families were told the prison was on

"lockdown" despite the fact that guards were seen strolling leisurely
outside. The room was small and unventilated and many people began to
experience difficulty breathing and dizziness. Visiting IRPWA
Chairwoman Marian Price, also trapped inside the tiny room, demanded to

be sent a police officer as she and all present were being held hostage

against their will. After more than 75 minutes had passed the doors
were opened and all were released with no apology and no explanation.

SNIFFER DOGS - PSYCHOLOGICAL INTIMIDATION OF FAMILIES
After passing through a search visitors are brought into a waiting room

and then stood in a long tunnel to be inspected by a sniffer dog. The
dog is lead across visitors by a guard controlling the leash. If the
dog is made to sit down, or sits down on a cue, the visit is cancelled
and all persons traveling with the "marked" individual also lose their
visit. The dog is quite large and this would be a terrifying experience

for anyone who is afraid of dogs, or small children. Guards have been
seen more than once visibly yanking at the leash to make to dog sit down

and thus deny the entire group their visit. Republican prisoners do not

use drugs and are utterly opposed to them, and prison guards would be
aware that the use of the sniffer dogs is an unnecessary scare tactic
simply designed to frighten and intimidate family members.

CHILDREN UNSAFE FROM PEDOPHILES AND SEX OFFENDERS
The visiting area is open and often family members are not aware of the

backgrounds of other prisoners seated in booths beside their loved ones.

An existing children's crèche has been closed, so now young children
roam freely in a room where sex offenders and pedophiles may be taking
visits at the same time. Family members and republican prisoners have
lodged numerous complaints regarding this unhealthy and dangerous
environment for children with no result.

"CARROT AND STICK" APPROACH - PUNISHMENT FOR PRIVILEGES
Recently after prolonged pressure by republican prisoners, Sunday Mass
was reinstated at Maghaberry Prison. However immediately following the
announcement that Mass would be allowed, republican prisoners were
locked in their cells for 36 hours and guards moved in to wreck them.
In the process one prisoner was made to watch as prison screws tore up
Valentines he had received from his wife and children. A scrapbook
containing news report of a recent death in the prisoners' family was
taken away from him with no explanation, and has not yet been returned
to him. Newspaper reports detailing the Bloody Sunday Tribunal were
similarly confiscated and removed from a prisoners' cell.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE - SLEEP DEPRIVATION
Some republican prisoners are being housed on wings with loyalist
prisoners who freely use ecstasy tablets and stay awake blasting rave
music for days at a time. Lights are kept on and guards do not
acknowledge complaints from republican prisoners regarding constant
noise and drug use by loyalist prisoners. This is viewed as a tactic
to break men's spirits and morale by preventing normal sleep and
psychologically torturing them over time.

MEDICATION DENIED - MEDICAL NEGLECT ALLOWED
Within the past two days a 54-year-old prisoner with high blood pressure

and a serious heart condition has been denied his medication for a
second time since being imprisoned. Previously this man was denied his
medication for 3 days before the prison returned it to him after
numerous complaints by his family. This week his prescription was
allowed to run out and prison doctors would not refill it, even though
the chemist is five minutes away in Lurgan. The prison nurse told the
prisoner on Tuesday that he could "do without" his heart and blood
pressure medication. In a conversation with this prisoner on Wednesday
night he was distraught, dizzy, and suffering massive headaches. The
prison had promised solicitors that the medication would be given to him

by teatime but at the last conversation late on Wednesday night he was
still suffering without it.

PRISONERS HELD IN ISOLATION IN HOSTILE LANDINGS - DEATH THREATS
Republican prisoners are being held in isolation amongst hostile and
threatening loyalist paramilitary prisoners. Loyalists have threatened
to murder "any one" of the republican prisoners at Maghaberry - all of
whom are held alone in individual cells apart from other republican
prisoners. Republican prisoners housed alone on loyalist landings have
already reported several incidences of brutal attacks by gangs of
loyalist paramilitaries, resulting in severe injuries and
hospitalization for a number of them. Republican prisoners are not
permitted to take recreation with one another and must eat meals alone
in their cells, being allowed out for only one to two hours a day into
their landing. A republican prisoner who spoke with us told us he is
having difficulty with his voice due to prolonged periods of total
silence. The return of the right to a Sunday Mass will allow a
once-weekly respite from a desperately dull and repressive existence.

NO RIGHT TO RECOURSE
Republican prisoners are in addition being denied the right to a
spokesperson who could address these and dozens of other violations of
human rights experienced on a daily basis by these prisoners.
Complaints are going unrecognized and the prison has become openly
vindictive to both prisoners and their families.

As the situation inside escalates almost daily, very real concerns are
being aired that prisoners will take matters into their own hands and
enter a drastic course of action as we have seen in the 1970's and
1980's with the blanket and dirty protests, and worse yet the deadly
hunger strikes which led to ten deaths by starvation. Some of the men
at Maghaberry have spent up to half their lives in jail already and have

been on the blanket before. We cannot sit idly by and allow this
situation to go on silently without raising our voices in protest
alongside them and their families on the outside.

The Irish Freedom Committee encourages all concerned human rights
activists to contact your elected officials regarding this emergency
situation, and to remain vigilant as this urgent situation continues.
DON'T ALLOW MORE BLANKET PROTESTS OR DEADLY HUNGER STRIKES!!

DEMAND THE RIGHT FOR POLITICAL STATUS TO IRISH REPUBLICAN POLITICAL PRISONERS.

1. THE RIGHT TO SEGREGATION
2. THE RIGHT TO RECOGNITION AS A GROUP
3. THE RIGHT TO HAVE THEIR OWN SPOKESPERSON
4. THE RIGHT TO A WING OF THEIR OWN

Write to Irish Political Prisoners - www.irishfreedomcommittee.net