PROMISES of
a breakthrough in ending full-body strip-searching of POWs in Maghaberry jail,
Co Antrim have come to nought following the announcement on February 13 that
the electronic scanning machine will not now be installed in the jail. The
promise of the scanner made by British minister for justice at Stormont David
Ford towards the end of 2012, was a key factor in the Republican prisoners
suspending their dirty protest after three years in November 2012 “in order to
give the prison regime another opportunity to acknowledge and implement the
agreement all parties signed up to in August 2010”. The ending of
strip-searching and the establishment of free association for all POWs are cornerstones
of that agreement.
The
Agreement was reached after protracted talks involving the prison service, the
department of justice at Stormont and facilitated by two “outside” people. On
February 14 this year David Ford’s office and the prison service rowed back and
announced that the electronic scanners — hi-tech millimetre wave equipment,
similar to that used at airports — will not now be installed. The British
authorities claim that the machines “failed to find concealed items such as
drugs, scissors and knives during a trial” - if true then surely a worry for
airports.
Allegedly
more than 1,000 prisoners who took part in the 'experiment' were searched using
two millimetre wave scanners at Magilligan prison and Hydebank Wood over the
past three months. The use of selected prisoners from the mainstream prison
instead of using POWs from Roe House for the trial tells its own tale. Mainstream
prisoners don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to “offers” from the prison
authorities. It is common to offer inducements to mainstream prisoners to
co-operate with the authorities – the “it is in your own interests”, a veiled
threat. Add to that the fact that it was prison warders who conducted the
trial.
Again, a
vested interest, though it has to be said a much more sinister vested interest.
Jobs are at stake here; if Roe House were running as a political wing then
there would be no need for so many warders to be on duty every day. Currently
there are two or three warders for every one prisoner.
If the 2010 Agreement were implemented then the number of warders needed would
be far far less, as strip-searching would be abolished and free association
granted.
In another
vindictive turn, the prison regime has added a further rule designed to
exacerbate a bad situation. The POWs have been told that they have to undergo a
drugs test before they can be granted parole. This is unheard of with
Republican prisoners, despite was the prison regime is claiming. It is a lie to
state, as they have done, that Republican POWs always underwent a drugs test
before being granted parole. Even the Ombudsman, Pauline McCabe,
acknowledged that Republican prisoners “were unlikely to smuggle or use drugs”.
Forced
full-body strip-searches, and brutality use in these searches, are being
carried out on Republican POWs in Maghaberry jail and it looks to continue that
way in the foreseeable future (last month we carried a report of such a
strip-search).This practice will never be acceptable. Neither will the continue
harassment and intimidation of the POWs by the warders, and while we will not
tar them all with the one brush, they will continue to obey order from
Whitehall and Stormont to make POWs lives as miserable as possible as the
alternative is unacceptable to them – a well-run Row House where Republican
POWs are treated as such —Republican POW with full political status.
- POW
Department, Sinn Féin Poblachtach, March 5, 2013.
POW Department
Sinn Féin Poblachtach
223 Parnell Street
Dublin 1.
00353-1-8729747
