Maghaberry republican POWs on punishment blocks

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Saturday April 14, 2007 20:17 by IFC POW Dept. - Irish Freedom Committee Saoirse at irishfreedomcommittee dot net

POWs in isolation for wearing Easter lilies

Three Irish Republican POWs are on punishment blocks, and more are
likely to follow in the coming week, for their refusal to remove their
Easter lilies and for their refusal to co-operate with the punishment
system at Maghaberry jail.

http://www.irishfreedomcommittee.net

Irish Freedom Committee ACTION REQUEST
POWs on punishment block for wearing Easter lilies

Saturday April 15, 2007

1. RECENT NEWS FROM MAGHABERRY PRISON
2. ACTION REQUEST AND SAMPLE LETTER
3. SEND CARDS OF SUPPORT TO IRISH POWS AT MAGHABERRY JAIL

1. RECENT NEWS

Three Irish Republican POWs are on punishment blocks, and more are
likely to follow in the coming week, for their refusal to remove their
Easter lilies and for their refusal to co-operate with the punishment
system at Maghaberry jail.

The Republican prisoners have taken a principled stand over the issue
of wearing Easter lilies to commemorate their dead on Easter week.
They are refusing to recognize the adjudication system whereby they
would have to explain themselves to the prison board. They view this
system as a sectarian ploy; loyalist prisoners and prison staff are
not punished or forced to explain themselves for wearing red poppies
for Remembrance Day.

We are asking for letters and emails from as many people as possible
in order to ensure the British government knows that there is
widespread awareness in the US of their unacceptable sectarian
treatment of Irish Republican political prisoners. The Irish Freedom
Committee will continue to lay pressure in the coming weeks.

2. ACTION REQUEST - SAMPLE LETTER AND CONTACT INFORMATION

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 during Easter week. We have learned that the
republican prisoners were forced to run a gauntlet of over twenty
guards on Easter Sunday and have been denied food, visits and exercise
because they wore Easter lilies. We are aware that these prisoners
now face being held in isolation for indefinite periods of time
because they wore Easter lilies.

It is unacceptable that prison guards and loyalist inmates can openly
wear their poppies for Remembrance day in November, yet the republican
prisoners are annually treated to abuse and punishment for wearing
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

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The Irish Freedom Committee will continue to monitor events at
Maghaberry and will post more news here shortly. Please contact
Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee for more information.

3. PLEASE SEND CARDS OF SUPPORT TO IRISH REPUBLICAN POWs

Please send letters and cards of support to the Republican POWs at
Maghaberry jail.
Send GROUP CARDS to all POWs attn TERRY McCAFFERTY or JOHN CONNOLLY
ROE 3 + 4
Maghaberry Prison
Upper Ballindery Road
Lisburn, Co. Antrim
BT 28 2PT
North of Ireland

Or find a list of individual POWs at Maghaberry Prison here:
http://www.irishfreedomcommittee.net/POWs/IPOWS_LIST.htm Scroll down
to Maghaberry

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The Irish Freedom Committee will continue to monitor events at
Maghaberry and will post more news here shortly. Please contact
Saoirse@irishfreedomcommittee for more information.

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