Prisoners of war appeal for support

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Office path- no signs vi any assaul: vIC over El Salvador IN British prisons there are approximately 400 Category A prisoners, those considered top security, and nearly 25 per cent these are Irish political prisoners. It is a fact that out of 44,000 prisoners in jail, 400 are Category A and the Irish prisoners are all placed in this category. And even within this ical minoritieriminated. Irish Dout. against further, being al C called variously 'Special A or 'Irish A' prisoners, the main form being the terrible visiting conditions which are imposed under the pretext of security, exclusively against the political prisoners.

Barry Prosser dies in his cell in Winson Green of massive internal injuries.

He was covered in bruises and his stomach split open.

Three prison officers are accused of murdering him, in a case that is at present before Leicester Crown Court.

Now a Home Despite the Home Office recognising that Irish prisoners are different from other prisoners, albeit in the harsh measures taken against them, they refuse to transfer us to prisons in North East Ireland.

None of the objections made by the government stand any kind of scrutiny and their only fall-back is the fact that they have the physical power to do whatever they like.

The first objection, that people should serve sentences where they are convicted, does not hold water when we see that nearly a hundred soldiers have been moved to ologist, giving • evidence, has come up with a novel theory of how his fatal injuries might have been sustained. Dr. Benjamin Davis, a senior lecturer in forensic pathology at Birmingham University, told the jury that an examination of the body revealed no signs of any assault!

El England and Scotland after conviction in Ireland.

The second objection, that there is no procedure in the bureaucratic machinSAS link Robert McConnell, a UDA members gauled for life for shooting John Turnly, a Republican politician, in front of his wife and two children, claims he was working • for the SAS. He says the SAS gave him weapons and listening equipment.

An army spokesman claims their investigations reveal no support for his allegations.

No doubt the army didn't pursue these inquiries as they would if the murdered man was a Unionist politician and the murderer claimed to be working for the IRA.

thereby give its stamp of approval to the murderous US-backed regime.

The BBC is not the only obstacle the Emergency Committee has come up against. The clearing banks are refusing to give the free giro facilities they normally make availiable for this appeal. According to their spokesman, "Being seen to be too closely involved might offend the countries where they are doing business. ery for transfers, is exposed as a lie when we see that a large proportion of Loyalists convicted in Britain are transferred to Ireland as well as four Republicans who underwent a mammoth hunger strike in which Michael Gaughan died and for which Frank Stagg later died. venom is rechsal to me e prisoners recently, and made it clear that the refusal was to add a degree of vindictiveness to an already oppressive punishment.

This desire to keep Irish prisoners in Britain does not extend past the prison gates as when a sentence is completed, the Special Branch are waiting to whisk the free man off to Ireland under an Exclusion Order.

Added to this is the savage beatings meted out to Republicans, some who have been offered compensation for the injuries and warders have been convicted of assault, only to receive paltry sentences.

This plight of the prisoners is made worse by the anguish suffered by. the relatives who have not only financial restrictions placed on them by travelling over from Ireland, but also restrictions on visits placed by the police and restrictions placed on mail by the prison censor.

Although every visitor is photographed and passed as 'suitable' weeks before a visit by the Special Branch, many are arrested and questioned, the most tragic being the case of G. Conlon who was arrested in London visiting his son and died in prison from a neglected illness.

PRO Republican Prisoners Hull Prison PS. We thank Owen Carron MP for visiting us on Wednesday 24 February and for the work which he is doing on the transfer of Irish prisoners to frish prisons. Anyone wishing to help should contact Owen Carron MP at the Clinic.

7 Market St. Enniskillen.

Co. Fermanagh, Ireland SOLATE APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA Rowntree in South Africa.

STSP EDBRIDGE QF CAMPAIGN MINST RACISM I FASCISPI

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