Issue 151, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (November, 1999)

              uimh 151 samhain — november 1999 50p usa 1 republican calendar 2000 feilire poblachtach a century of republicanism 1900 - 2000 order now from 223 parnell street dublin 1 telephone 872 9747 british-backed loyalists attack republican rison for republican prisoners loyal to the all-ireland republic in maghaberry jail co antrim are in fear for their lives following the second attack on a political prisoner in the unsegregated prison suffered bruising to his head and chest he cannot go out to the exercise yard as he now fears for his life tommy and three other republican prisoners have been seeking segregation from ordinary prisoners and loyalist prisoners on the same wing since their arrests in november 1998 and january 1999 a fifth political prisoner aged 20 was removed to hyde park juvenile prison on a technicality these republican prisoners have been isolated from each other and their families safety is also threatened on visits to their loved ones they have been strip-searched repeatedly and sentenced to 28-day periods of solitary confinement on trumped-up charges two prominent clergymen noted for their interventions on human rights issues who were told about the case held a meeting with the maghaberry governor in march of this year they were told there was no need to worry he guaranteed republican sinn condemned the attack on republican prisoner tommy crossan from west belfast in maghaberry jail on sunday night october 31 the second serious and unprovoked assault in five months in a statement on november 1 the organisation asked when is a republican prisoner not a political prisoner when they refuse to recognise stormont tommy crossan 28 was attacked by two loyalist prisoners pastor clifford peebles and james mcgookin fisher arrested last week near dungannon co tyrone as he queued to make a telephone call to his wife anne around 6pm boiling water was thrown on his right side and he suffered blistering on his chest and hands he averted his head at the last second as he saw his attackers on may 25 last he was assaulted on the landing in the unsegregated prison and was kicked while on the ground he required stitches to his head and ir the republican prisoners safety his guarantees of protection have been proved false what are the two clergymen going to do now are they men of their word british minister in the six counties adam ingram wrote in a letter to tony benn mp on july 1 1999 as follows it is government policy that following the stormont agreement all those arrested and remanded into custody for or convicted of offences committed after 10 april the date of the agreement will be held in hmp maghaberry or hmp magilligan this applies whether or not a political motive is claimed and whether or not any terrorist organisation to which a prisoner may claim to be affiliated is on cease-fire this confirms that british policy is to abolish political status for irish political prisoners this policy was not publicised when the stormont agreement was being debated in april/may 1998 and is not contained anywhere in the text of the agreement it forms part of a hidden agenda which is implicitedly • the unsegregated maghaberry prison co antrim british policy is to abolish political status supported by the pro stormont agreement parties sdlp provisionals the dublin admionistration etc bobby sands and nine of his comrades laid down their lives in the historic 1981 hunger-strikes for recognition as political prisoners this was the tragic culmination of a prison campaign which began with the blanket protest in 1976 is their sacrifice and the sacrifice of many others down the years to be discarded now in exchange for seats in stormont and british pay cheques surely not support the maghaberry prisoners four demands 1 segregation 2 recognition as a group 3 the right to have their own spokesperson and 4 a prison wing of their own speak out now and make the british government learn from history so that they do not repeat the mistakes of the thatcher administration in 1981 which led to so much trauma suffering and tragedy write a letter of support to tommy crossan political prisoner foyle house upper ballinderry hm maghaberry prison lisburn bt28 2pt co republican sinn fein pobl i5u ard-fheis 1999 i2«iilc atlmj c li;tlli 13-14 ssi in !¦ 5i a ¦! for further details contact ard oifig 223 sraid pharneli bac 1 tpji 8729747 fax:&7?97?,7 e-mail l>30.?sfi."i9 je antrim meanwhile the stormont review talks are in their ninth week one journalist has calculated that the participants have spent 1,000 hours discussing the surrender of arms and setting up the stormont executive in the past 18 months at the time of publication it was far from clear what outcome would emerge can there be any doubt however that if all that separates the provisionals from power in a new british executive is a start to a decommissioning process they will conform republican