May 14, 2002 'Republican prisoners are being ill-treated day and daily'
Statement read to Conway Mill meeting on Sunday, April 28 by Republican Sinn Féin POW Department

We are here today to highlight the plight of Republican POWs in Maghaberry prison because of the policy of criminalisation once again being carried out by England against Republican POWs; the target for this unjust policy being the Republican POWs under the Maghaberry regime. Republican POWs find themselves in a very volatile situation.

The policy of enforced integration on wings and landings, that has seen a number of Republican prisoners attacked and suffer injuries, will also we believe lead to a Republican prisoner being killed.

People tend to believe that inhuman treatment of political prisoners is a thing of the past or something that only happens in other countries. No! Today only a few miles from here Republican prisoners are being ill-treated day and daily by the Maghaberry regime.

Strip searches are constant, with some POWs going through this treatment two or three times in a day.

Prisoners are locked up 22 hours a day. This is both remand and sentenced prisoners. Cells are raided and wrecked by riot clad screws. Prisoners are no longer allowed to receive a weekly parcel and papers. To ensure a POW gets them, papers have to go by recorded post at cost to POWs families, adding to the hardship of POWs families. Political papers such as SAOIRSE are not allowed into the prison.

Prisoners families, mothers, fathers, children and friends, before a visit have to go through the indignity of a sniffer dog that is led round the visitors by a screw. If the dog sits down near a visitor the visit doesn't go ahead. The handler of the dog has been seen pulling on the lead before the dog has sat down beside a visitor. A visit is always in the hands of the handler and the dog.

On Easter Sunday the sniffer dog sat down beside the prison governor and was taken off for the rest of the day.

This is just a small number of things that are being enforced by the Maghaberry regime.

Republican POWs live under constant threat from prison staff who don't hide their loyalism.

There is also the constant threat from loyalists prisoners who out number Republican POWs four and five to one.

Many of the POWs have received a visit from the RUC to inform them their lives are in danger from a group calling itself the Loyalist Prisoners Reaction Attack Force.

The assurance from the Maghaberry regime to ensure Republican POWs safety has been seen for the nonsense it is by recent attacks on Republican POWs.

We believe the only way to ensure the safety of our POWs is to put in place now the policy of segregation.

We also call on everyone to become involved in the POW issue; to highlight the political status struggle in anyway they can.