May 14, 2002 A Chairde: Political Status is a Right, Not a Privilege
Statement from Tommy Crossan (OC CIRA POWs, Maghaberry Prison), read out at Sundays meeting in Conway Mill

Within the Stormont Agreement there was a hidden agenda to remove political status for anyone convicted of a political act after April/May 1998.

England, that ever resourceful tyrant, was able to sneak this agenda through unnoticed by many.

This was the start of yet another campaign by England to criminalise Irish Republican POWs. Once again England is looking for a showdown with Republican POWs.

Here today in Maghaberry prison, 21 years after the historic hunger strike that saw ten of our comrades die in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh because they refused to let England criminalise them or our freedom struggle, Republican POWs once again find themselves in a renewed struggle to have political status as a right restored. Political Status is a right, not a privilege.

Because the Brits are intent to criminalise Republican POWs one way they have set out to do this is to bring in a policy of enforced integration, a policy that endangers Republican POWs who are forced to share cells and landings with loyalists who outnumber them; also drug dealers and sex offenders. A number of Republican POWs have been attacked by loyalists.

I myself have been hospitalised. Other POWs have been attacked as well and have suffered injury. We believe it's only a matter of time before one of us is murdered. If the Maghaberry regime keep pushing the issue of enforced integration as they are, we believe this will come sooner rather than later.

The struggle for POW status will go on. We have a number of demands. These are: 1. Segregation 2. Recognition as a group 3. The right to our own spokesperson 4. A wing of our own.

The struggle for all our demands will go on and will be carried to the full. But we feel because of the dangerous situation, Republican POWs are forced into, upmost of these demands has to be segregation as the only way we believe to ensure the safety of Republican POWs.

We call on everyone to support us in our struggle. Although we may not agree politically, we believe that this can be overcome on this issue as the Republican/Nationalist communitys concern for the plight of POWs has always to be unquestioned.

We now call on everyone to support us in our struggle.

We will not allow England to criminalise us or our freedom struggle.

Support the POWs demands!

Signed, Tommy Crossan