Cogús / RNU respond to Ford on Maghaberry

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Tuesday March 27, 2012 22:01 by RNU PRO - Republican Network for Unity (RNU)

Republican Network for Unity (RNU) Cathaoirleach/Chairperson Carl Reilly, welcomes with appropriate caution, David Ford’s announcement that he intends to implement a pilot scheme to replace strip searching in Maghaberry Gaol.

Republican Network for Unity (RNU) Cathaoirleach/Chairperson Carl Reilly, welcomes with appropriate caution, David Ford’s announcement that he intends to implement a pilot scheme to replace strip searching in Maghaberry Gaol.

Since August 2010, the Stormont justice minister has refused to honour an agreement with republican prisoners which should have resolved this issue without any need for further protest.
In the face of persistent intransigence and delay however, Cogús prisoners had no option other than to re-embark upon a long and bitter dirty protest in defence of the Agreement and their human rights. This protest is still on-going and our prisoners remain resolute, David Ford alone has the power to convince them otherwise.

We urge him to act now, and not prevaricate any longer. As a self-proclaimed advocate of human rights, David Ford has been found sorely wanting on the issue of political torture in the prisons he presides over. If he wishes to end the suffering he should prove it today. Let there be no doubt that the prisoners’ protest itself and the efforts of various support groups on the outside, kept the issue of Strip Searching in the public eye and forced David Ford to reassess the feasibility of his position.

Without protest action, political parties and statesmen would have turned a blind eye indefinitely to torture in Maghaberry prison. Sinn Fein in particular, had the power to end the suffering of the POWs, and at an early stage. Given the history of many of their elected representatives, we are at a loss as to why they waited till the 11th hour to fall in behind prisoners in a meaningful way.

We salute all republican POWs, and are deeply proud of their efforts in Maghaberry Gaol.