The national executive of the Irish Republican Socialist Party wish to express our concern at the treatment of republican and republican socialist political prisoners in Maghaberry.
We will be endeavouring to visit the republican socialist prisoners this week to ascertain the facts of what conditions the prisoners are enduring at present.
The prisoners are currently being punished for wearing Easter Lilies by a 23hr lock up, confined to their cells, which have been stripped of their personal belongings. The regime is only allowing one prisoner at a time get a shower thus insuring some prisoners do not have the opportunity to wash. Legal visits, family visits and association have been interfered with. Political prisoners are also complaining of sleep deprivation due to being constantly awoken during the night by prison staff. This petty strategy by the authorities and the P.O.A. should cease immediately.
It is imperative that prisoners are not used as pawns by the P.O.A. in their industrial action, to that end we would caution the P.O.A., British government and indeed the Stormont regime against continuing down this road that can only result in continued confrontation.
We pay tribute to the republican and republican socialist political prisoners, their determination and that of their families and friends and call on all those who profess to care about human rights to support the prisoners in their hour of need.
We are calling for an end of this petty campaign by the P,O,A and the restoration of Political status, the only solution that will insure that political prisoners human rights and entitlements are safeguarded.
