An Coimhlint

CENSORSHIP OF THE REPUBLICAN PRISON PROTEST AT MAGHABERRY JAIL

Statement from Republican Prisoners Action Group (RPAG) June 29, 2006.

Republican prisoners today called on elements of the print and broadcast media to end their self-censorship of the Republican prison protest at Maghaberry jail. Despite widespread distribution of the details of the protest only one of Irelands main daily papers carried any details of the protest.

Today a special broadcast on Radio Ulster from Magilligan Prison about prison issues also failed to refer to the prison protest.

RPAG has been contacted by a number of individuals claiming to have contacted the programme. After expressing views about the protest they were denied the opportunity to have their views expressed on air.

A spokesperson for the RPAG also contacted the programme to challenge points raised by the British Minister for Prisons. Tony McPhillips, from the group, asked how the Minister could assert that his main policies were aimed solely at protecting the public and rehabilitating criminals when the treatment of Republican prisoners demonstrated that there is a clear anti-Republican political agenda being pursued by the prison authorities.

Tony McPhillips was asked if he would like to put this point directly to the minister and he readily agreed. He was advised that he would be contacted later in the afternoon but he was not.

But Ministers, the prison Ombudsman, numerous prison officers and criminal prisoners were all permitted to express their views on the programme. It appears that decisions are being taken at an editorial level to stop information about the protest from being disseminated.

RPAG calls on all sections of the media to end their silence and begin publishing the daily human rights abuses of Republican prisoners that continue at Maghaberry jail.

INCREASED NUMBERS ON PRISON PROTEST

From this week the number of Segregated POWs in Maghaberry engaged in the Prison Protest is set to increase. No attempts have been made to address the 5 Demands of the POWs although the RPAG have reported these demands on numerous occasions.

1. FREE ASSOCIATION

2. END TO CONTROLLED MOVEMENT

3. RIGHT TO FULL TIME EDUCATION

4. SEPARATE VISITING FACILITY

5. RIGHT TO ORGANISE OUR OWN LANDINGS

The Prison Protest will continue until these demands are addressed and the necessary changes are implemented. The media are censoring the ongoing struggle in Maghaberry and the prison service are ignoring it, despite this, support for the POWs and their demands is growing. This situation cannot continue and POWs are determined that this situation will be resolved once and for all. The implementation of Segregation was not a meaningful attempt to deal with the issue of Political Prisoners it was a political move made in 2003 to trick the Irish people into believing that the conditions that led to protests within the prison at that time had been improved and that the issues had been resolved. Since Segregation conditions for both POWs and their visitors have worsened.

The POWs are relying on the Irish people to stand with them in their fight to improve conditions and ultimately to win back Political Status. The Irish people have never failed POWs in the past and we have faith that they will not fail them now.

REPUBLICAN PRISONERS ACTION GROUP STATEMENT
28th June 2006