E-mail to British Home Office -- Stormont Watch

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Date Posted: Sat, Jan 13 2007, 17:34:15 PST
Author: CR Vets'
Subject: E-mail to British Home Office
In reply to: Fionnbarra-rights civil@googlemail.com 's message, "Re: RE WHOM IT MAY CONCERN." on Fri, Jan 12 2007, 12:00:32 PST

From:rights.civil@googlemail.com

To:
Mr. Jason Ruffy,
National Offenders Management Service,
Cross Border Transfer Section,
Home Office,
London SW1P 4DF
Jason.Ruffy@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Dear Mr. Ruffy,

Re; Irish Political Prisoner, Noel Francis Maguire (FF9197)

I write to you as Hon. Secretary of the October 5th Association, a global network of 1968 civil rights veterans and supporters, because of our concerns relating to the above named prisoner, held at HMP Full Sutton.

I have read your correspondence to this prisoner, your reference PDP/M00044067/06/001 dated 19th December 2006, re. his application to be nearer his loved ones in Ireland, as facilitated under the terms of the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

Our own organisation, and several other groups concerned with human rights and civil liberties, in addition to his immediate family, fear that the unprovoked and vicious knife attack, by two other prisoners, may be repeated, now that he's the only remaining Irish political prisoner in that jail. Colleagues of his, brothers Aiden and Robert Hulme were repatriated on December 9th last. Following that October 2005 attack Mr. Maguire was hospitalised, and we have been led to believe that those inmates responsible have been charged with attempted murder, such was the seriousness of his injuries.

Can I take it that the British authorities have already formally consented to his repatriation at the earliest possible date? Could you kindly inform me of the date on which that formal consent materialised?

I note also that you attached a letter to Mr. Maguire from the Dept. of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in Dublin which you note: �have refused your [his] request�. This, his third application, was made as recently as late November 2006. If the Home Office has ruled in his favour, then it logically follows that we must direct all further correspondence to Dublin, re. this prisoner, whose physical and psychological well-being is our primary and humanitarian concern.

Before we take this matter up with that Department, headed by Minister Michael McDowell, it is important that we obtain from you the position of the British Home Office, before endeavouring to establish the position of that of Mr. McDowell, TD, which he has yet to fully clarify. If London has consented to Mr. Maguire�s return to Ireland, then responsibility and accountability must be shouldered by the Irish minister, regarding Mr. Maguire�s current plight. We note from the attached letter �has decided to again refuse your application for transfer to this jurisdiction. The Minister has indicated that, should you wish to re-apply he is not prepared to consider the matter again for the next twelve months.�

Such a stance is not only, in our opinion, highly regrettable, but could well be viewed as totally irresponsible, given the grave concerns of the prisoner, his family and those groups such as ourselves who are campaigning for a humanitarian resolution to what we collectively view as a life-threatening situation, for the individual concerned.

Thanking you for your kind attention to this correspondence.

Yours truly,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Co-founder, N. Ireland Civil Rights Association [1967]
January 15th 2007.

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