The treatment of Republican Prisoners Of War and political prisoners alike in Maghaberry gaol is nothing short of disgusting and inhumane. The abusive treatment by Prison employees has escalated drastically in the past few weeks. Recently Republicans have been informed that they will receive no showering facilities, no visits, no phone calls and no exercise time, this is clearly in breach of their human rights. Another issue that seems to be part of the screws plan of action is withholding food from the men for days on end, another very serious breach of human rights.
Strip searches have become another weapon of choice for Maghaberry screws it is being used in such a fashion as to humiliate the Republicans under their control. It was also being used extensively against family and friends visiting the gaol. Strip searches were being carried out a highly inappropriate number of times, even when men were walking from wing to wing they were being intermittently searched when they had no possibility to have received contraband items. Due to the wide spread use of this tactic Republicans have refused to strip down past their boxer shorts resulting in numerous beatings.
Numerous men are being sent to the SSU (Special Supervision Unit), this was previously called the Punishment Unit but was later renamed. The understanding of these actions by Republicans is that this is just another excuse to try and separate Republicans and break their morale.
Most personal belongings have been stripped from the men’s cells, leaving them with nothing but a mattress and the clothes they stand in. When Republicans saw a comrade receiving a severe beating by a number of balaclava clad screws, in protest and in the hope of stopping the vicious assault they wrecked their cells, including their toilets and sinks, this obviously flooded their rooms, where they had to stay for the duration of the night with a six inch puddle of water surrounding them. When the screws did eventually move the prisoners to dry cells while they clear the rooms, they soaked the POW’s mattresses and moved them back in.
With no toilet facilities in their cells the POWs are expected to use buckets to defecate and urinate, in attempts to get rid of this human waste, they try have to throw what they can out windows and pour urine onto the landing which is often swept back in around them, this is fertile ground for various harmful bacteria and infections, which, as summer approaches, may result in an epidemic outbreak, in correlations with the lack of nutrition, resulting in weakened immune systems, this poses a serious threat to the prisoners’ safety. Another incident reported to people before the communications shut down, was that food that was getting through to the POW’s was being tampered with, leaving numerous Republicans violently ill, the tampered food and no drinking water has compounded this health issue.
Not only is this a vicious and underhand campaign against legitimate political prisoners it is obviously a great health risk to the men suffering this reality. To compile the health risk POW’s that are on long term medication, have been refused their medicine for the past number of weeks, suffering in a regression of their medical wellbeing.
The media have been absolutely deafening in their silence about this torturous campaign waged against our incarcerated Republicans comrades. The only reporting of this issue is coming from the Republican groups supporting these men and from a few humanitarian organisations. If the media are refusing to document and shame the system for its vile actions, it is up to us as Republicans to take to the street to protest, poster and challenge this regime, we owe our comrades that much. They can ignore one of us, but they cannot ignore all of us.
Belfast 32CSM
