Issue 143, Saoirse: Irish Freedom (March, 1999)

              uimh 143 marta march 1999 50p usa 1 wear an easter lily honour ireland's dead easter lilies now available 25.00 per 1,000 from petg king 29 all sainfs park raheny dublin 5 • full list of easter 1916 ceremonies in ireland england and the us on page 7 inside • 1 maghaberry prison co antrim republican irisoners in vlaghaberry political status denied five republican prisoners in maghaberry prison co antrim and millbank juvenile prison are being denied special category status the british nio has refused to give them any group recognition and they are in fear for their lives because of enforced shared exercise with loyalist prisoners and ordinary prisoners the men — four from west belfast and one from lurgan — are being held on remand on charges of possession of arms and ammunition all are in their twenties and one has been totally separated from the others and sent to juvenile prison even though he is aged 20 two of them are being held in cells on their own so far another is forced to share a cell with a prisoner on drugs-related charges while the remaining two are in 23 hour lock-up on punishment under rule 32 the warders apparently acting on instructions present a big problem they are continually provoking these prisoners and challenging them to fight responsibility for this policy lies fairly and squarely with the british supremo in the six counties mo mowlam her decision to deny political status is reminiscent of another british labour supremo roy mason who during his time in the six counties september 1976 to 1979 tried to criminalise political prisoners in the h blocks in october 1976 the first republican prisoner to be moved from the camps of long kesh to the h-blocks kieran nugent refused prison clothes and began the five-year long protest against the criminaiisation policy the five republicans denied special category status while on remand are entitled to due recognition as political prisoners they were after all brought before the non-jury diplock courts to be charged after their arrest what would hunger striker bobby sands have said about this situation after all it was against this type of prison regime that the hunger strikers fasted to death the provisionals and other supporters of the stormont agreement have not spoken out on this issue they are conspicuous by their silence incidentally the denial of special category status forms no part of the text of the stormont agreement is it another hidden addition to the agreement agreed by the parties but not published for fear that it would have influenced voters to vote no is it similar to the moves by the 26-county state to join the nato-led partnership for peace and the british commonwealth see page 3 inside the time is now for all freedom-loving people in ireland and throughout the world to rally to the demand for political status for republican prisoners there is no room for equivocation on this issue republican sinn fein reassures the five prisoners that they will support them and make their plight known in ireland in america and further afield the british regime in the six counties seems determined to repeat the mistakes of the past this must not happen republican prisoners in the 26 counties faced a similar denial of political status in january 1996 when five men and one woman josephine haydea were incarcerated in limerick jail the men spent four months without any exercise in the open air and they were then moved to portlaoise jail josephine hayden the sole woman political prisoner in the 26 counties is still denied political status three years on at a recent meeting with the mayor of limerick josephine was told by one prison official present that she could be released if she signed up to the stormont agreement she refused this political blackmail and remains a republican political prisoner • meanwhile two opinion polls in the six and 26 counties at the end of february showed dwindling support for the stormont agreement in the 26 counties an irish times/mrbl poll published on february 27 found 69 per cent support for the agreement down 25 per cent on the vote in the may 1998 referendum the poll was carried out across all the constituencies in the 26 counties a bbc opinion poll throughout the six counties found that only a minority of unionists — 41 per cent — now support the agreement a drop of 14 per cent from the estimated 55 per cent unionist yes in last year's referendum irish republican prisoners dependants fund annual testimonial dinner nd ceili west county hotel chapelixod dublin 1999 honareea include caoimliin maccatrimhaoil connackt johnny o'brien munster betty mccormack leinster mike costello usa friday april 30 1999 full four course meal music by patey farrell & the connolly folk group ticket 13