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What is POLITICAL STATUS? |
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Throughout the long history of Ireland's struggle for an end to British military rule, the Irish people have stood behind their prisoners of war and have given them unquestioned support. On numerous occasions in recent history, Irish republican prisoners have fought from behind bars for the right to POLITICAL STATUS. Countless Irish prisoners have suffered unimaginable torture on hunger and thirst strike, and many have ultimately lost their lives, in the struggle to obtain these rights on behalf of their comrades and future internees. What are these rights? In the years following the War of Independence, when Irish republican turned against Irish republican at the bidding of British interests; those who were arrested and imprisoned for resistance to the British Army and its lackey Free State forces were imprisoned under appalling and barbaric conditions throughout Ireland, and were uniformly denied any terms of Political Status. In 1976, in an effort to "criminalize" widespread resistance to increasingly barbaric British policy in Occupied Ireland; a new policy was introduced revoking Special Category Status to those prisoners arrested for acts of political resistance. These prisoners, tried and convicted in Special Courts under special laws, would from then on be treated as ordinary criminals and would be forced to wear a convict's uniform. This was resisted immediately by Irish Republican prisoners of war. The first man to be sentenced to the H-Blocks following the denial of Special Category status, Ciaran Nugent, proclaimed "They'll have to nail them to my back". Ciaran Nugent spent the next three and a half years with nothing but a blanket to wrap himself in, and all furniture removed from his cell. Over the next five years hundreds more Republican POWs would join the "Blanket Protest" under increasingly barbaric conditions. Finally, after enduring over four years on the Blanket Protest, including two on the "no wash" protest, and subjected to unimaginable barbarities; the Republican prisoners in the H-Blocks decided to embark on a hunger strike to secure five basic demands:
After an abortive attempt in 1980, which ended with unfulfilled British Government promises that Special Category Status would be returned; the Irish Republican prisoners undertook a sacrifice of the greatest magnitude, which would martyr ten men and would sully the name of Britain forever. Ten young men, led by Bobby Sands, a member of Margaret Thatcher's own Parliament, slowly and painfully starved themselves to death in a bid to bring a return to Political Status for all Irish Republican POWs. One after another ten men joined up to the strike and wasted into a painful and horrible death, as Britain looked the other way. Finally, shamed in the eyes of the world, Britain was forced to recognize the Five Demands and the Hunger Strike was brought to an end. POLITICAL STATUS REVOKED AGAIN - "GOOD FRIDAY" With the signing of the 1998 Stormont Treaty with Britain, Irish Republicans who are imprisoned for resisting British rule are once again being criminalized. Although they are arrested for political crimes, and are charged and sentenced under special laws and in in special, juryless "Diplock" courts; they are being DENIED the right under the terms of this British-inspired Treaty to be treated as political prisoners. HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AT MAGHABERRY Irish Republican prisoners at Maghaberry Prison in the Occupied Six Counties are enduring a particularly brutal form of state hostility, which is designed to demoralize and endanger not only the POW, but also his family on visits. POWs at Maghaberry are held in small cells for up to 22 hours a day, and exercise is limited to an hour at a time either once a day, or on "good" days; twice a day. Any educational time must be sacrificed from exercise time. Educational facilities are woefully outdated and inadequate. On visits, a POW's family must walk through a "dogs gautlet" which is designed for maximum intimidation of loved ones, particularly small children afraid of large dogs. The dogs, at the whims of their handlers, will "sit down", indicating a visitor and anyone he or she came with must leave without a visit. Family members travel to the jail and sit in waiting rooms alongside visitors to other prisoners hostile to the republican movement, and often endure harassment as a result. Since 1998, numerous and protracted protests were held inside the prison to obtain separate housing from Loyalist paramilitary prisoners who made numerous death threats to the Republican prisoners, and who outnumbered them nearly eight to one. Several Republican POW' were been brutally and viciously attacked, in one case requiring seventeen staples and fifteen stitches following a brutal attack with an iron, before separation was finally granted in 2003. Since 2003, hard-won gains have been slowly revoked as the prison once again began to move criminals onto the republican landings. Americans of good conscience cannot ignore this situation any longer.
These demands have been met at Portlaoise Prison in the 26 county Free State, but are not acknowledged to POWs at Maghaberry, or prisons in England and elsewhere in Europe. Please join the Irish Freedom Committee in demanding an immediate return to Political Status!!! Human Rights are not a PRIVILEGE. More information: International Human Rights Charters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War
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