The prisoners' Plight -- Stormont Watch

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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 15 2007, 20:34:53 PST
Author: Letter to The Blanket
Subject: The prisoners' Plight

The Prisoners' Plight
Letters

Sean O Lubaigh � 1 September 2006

With the end of summer upon us we also mark the end of the 25th anniversary of the 10 Freedom Fighters at Long Kesh who gave their lives for Irish Freedom. That dark and tragic chapter put to rest for another year, yet we must never let the sacrifices of the 10 dead slip from conscience. This is most important as Republicans at this very time are again fighting for the rights of Republican POWs held at Maghaberry Prison.

The Brits are trying one more time to criminalize the Republican Movement, and with the Good Friday Agreement, those hard won rights to political status was thrown to the wind and signed away buy the Brit collaborators. So now, 25 years later we find ourselves back in the same struggle as before. Conditions for the Freedom Fighter at Maghaberry are deteriorating at a quick pace imposing harsh, cruel and unsanitary practices on those Volunteers. The Brits have done everything possible they can to make those POWs break. No matter the 22- 23 hour lock ups, no matter the unsanitary cell conditions where they must eat next to the commode, no matter the visit denials that family members are met with to visit their loved ones (based on if a "drug sniffer" dog sits or stands), no matter what the Brits do, those Republican Volunteers will continue to protest until the 5 Demands are met. Right to free association, End to controlled movement, Right to full education, Right to separate visit facilities and the Right to organize the landings. That�s it! Have not the Brits learned anything in 25 years?

Right now the POWs have started a 48 hour fast in protest for their demands. I applaud the support the Prisoners are getting across Ireland in forms of pickets, marches, leafleting and using the media when ever possible to get the message out. Also the generous donations to ease the plight of the Fighters' families. Those of us in the U.S. however, find a media who will not print one word of the current prison fight the Irish Republicans are in. This media blackout is most discouraging but us over here must continue to write about the truth and try all means to bring this issue forward in the mainstream media. Great work has been done by groups of supporters here but we will continue the uphill fight to expose the unjust. Irish Republicans know that Freedom is not Free, but only gained thru the blood, sweat and tears of a hard fought struggle.

Letters of interest to local and international media, as well as letters sent to the webmaster of The Blanket will be posted here.
The Blanket welcomes your opinions, letters to the editor, and other contributions. All submissions must include your name, address, and a phone number for verification; anonymous submissions will not be accepted. Pseudonyms are discouraged but will be considered if necessary or for satirical purposes. The author bears sole responsibility for the opinion he or she expresses.

The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.
- Hubert H. Humphrey

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