The Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association has issued an update about a very tense situation hiving developed in the republican wing of Maghaberry Prison.
IRPWA have just been made aware that Roe house has been placed in lockdown and all screws have been ordered of the landings by Gov Swarbrick.
Republican Political Prisoners have been locked down wherever they happened to be when the lockdown was initiated leaving some prisoners with no access to facilities such as the toilets or the canteen and no meals have been provided since the lockdown.
IRPWA are seriously concerned that the Riot Squad will now be deployed on to Roe and the already volatile situation will result in violence against Republican Political Prisoners.
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ReplyDeleteRepublican Political Prisoner Statement
Republican Political Prisoner Statement
Posted on January 31, 2015 by Charlie
Republican Political Prisoners released a statement regarding plans made by the jail administration to further entrench conflict through repressive structural changes to our landings. These changes have been made and have, as predicted, further reduced our already limited space and further impeded our movement within our wing.
Corridors and doorways leading from our landings into areas such as the canteen and yard have been replaced with obstacle courses of multiple turnstiles and steel doors. Furthermore, steel ‘bird cages’ have been erected to cage us, like animals, in certain areas of the landing. Following protestations from Republican Political Prisoners the jail administration responded belligerently by covering the bird cages with darkened perspects and sheets of wood. This set up would be hard to imagine for those who have not experienced Roe House. The purpose of these developments is however clear; to debase and disempower Republican Political Prisoners.
Governors on Roe House were challenged regarding these latest measure. Governor Malcolm Swarbrick responded to these challenges by directing jail staff to continually use an alarm system which effectively closes down the wing, as occurred on 3 occasions on the 29/1/15. Other governors present were Alan Longwell, Colin Ward, Thomas Ferguson, David Savage and the notorious security governor Brian Armour. The irony is not lost on Republican Political Prisoners that it was Armour’s cousin Brian ‘the Red Rat’ Armour, who directed terrible beatings and acts of degradation against the Blanketmen in the H-Blocks and who was later executed by the IRA for said acts.
These structures, like other measures before them, will fail to deter Republican Political Prisoners from pursuing our objectives. Those overseeing and implementing these policies would do well to use history as their guide to see where their actions will lead. Republican Political Prisoners, and our supporters and comrades are determined and confident that we will overcome all obstacles and achieve all of our aims regardless of time or consequence.
Republican Political Prisoners
Roe House
Maghaberry
Maghaberry Prison: 'Ongoing incident' at dissident republican wing
BBC NI 2 February 2015
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has said it is dealing with an "ongoing incident" at Maghaberry Prison in County Antrim.
It is understood the incident is at Roe House, a building on the prison estate where dissident republican prisoners are held separately from other inmates.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said staff were trying to resolve the incident but would not make any further comment.
Maghaberry Prison is Northern Ireland's only high-security jail.
It houses men who have been convicted of serious offences as well as remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions.