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>Na Fianna Éireann have set up a petition in support of >Political Status for republican prisoners. If you >agree with its aims please sign it and pass the link >on to your friends. > >To: The British Prime Minister >Irish Republican Prisoners in Maghaberry Gaol, Co >Antrim, have commenced a dirty protest at the >continued denial of political status by the British >government. Conditions in the prison have steadily >deteriorated over the past couple of years with death >threats and attacks on republican prisoners by >loyalists becoming commonplace. The British policy of >forced segregation means that no more than two >republican prisoners are kept on one landing where >they are surrounded by loyalists, common criminals and >drug abusers and in some cases are outnumbered 20 to >one. Cells in the prison have been destroyed, fires >have been lit and a rooftop protest has taken place to >highlight their plight. > >The issues at stake are not new. It is a continuation >of the 'normalisation' (ie criminalisation) process >begun by the British in the Six Occupied Counties in >the mid 1970s -- To treat the political conflict >caused by the British occupation as a series of >criminal incidents to be dealt with by the police and >the normal justice system. The fact that these >prisoners were sentenced in a politically directed >non-jury Diplock court gives the lie to Britain's >criminalisation process. Under the hidden agenda of >the Stormont Agreement, the political status gained by >Billy McKee and his comrades on hunger strike in >Belfast Jail in 1972, and won back once more after it >had been removed by the British government in 1976, >was withdrawn again for new prisoners. It was, of >course, the blanket protest followed by the no-wash >protest and the prolonged hunger strike in 1981, >resulting in the supreme sacrifice by Bobby Sands and >his nine comrades, which recovered political status on >the second occasion - that time at enormous price. > >The prisoners actions are politically motivated, they >are charged under political acts and tried in >political non jury courts. They are political >prisoners. We appeal to all concerned individuals and >groups to support the four basic demands before we are >faced with the daunting prospect of another hunger >strike. We are not calling on you to back their >political opinions, but we do ask that you back their >basic rights as political prisoners. We will not allow >England to criminalise our prisoners or our struggle >for freedom and we intend on making this issue a live >one over the coming weeks and months. > >Victory to the POWS > >Please sign the Petition > >We the undersigned call for the return of political >status to Irish Republican prisoners held in British >gaols by the granting of these four demands: (1) The >separation of Republicans from ordinary prisoners and >loyalists; (2) recognition as a group; (3) The right >to their own spokesperson and (4) a prison wing or >space of their own. > >related link: >http://www.petitiononline.com/status/petition.html

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