Sir, I just read the letter by Thomas Peavoy (January 18th) on political prisoners, and I agree with everything he says. I am at present writing an article for a national German newspaper on the situation of Irish republican prisoners in English jails and I read the reports by Fine Gael, Labour and the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas. I was shocked to find out that the conditions for republican prisoners have deteriorated drastically since the IRA ceasefire and I was furthermore surprised how little media attention this fact gets in Ireland.
The latest Labour Party report makes sobering reading Danny McNamee in Belmarsh Prison had been studying law with the Open University. The prison authorities refused to pay his fees. He was not in a position to pay his own fees and therefore had to discontinue his studies. Because he was no longer studying, he was subjected to 23 hour lock up as punishment.
The report continues "Access to Open University should never be denied to a prisoner, because he is unable to pay the required fee. The prison authorities should be encouraging prisoners to rehabilitate through education."
The delegation also met Paul
McGee. Paul McGee had been on dirty protest since November 22nd, 1995, in protest against the closed visit system. He is also on a 23 hour lock up. He receives one hour's exercise daily. He is, not allowed to read in his cell. He is not allowed a radio, tobacco or publications. The Labour Party delegation protested strongly about the total lack of mental stimulus for McGee alone in his cell and asked if he was not entitled to a Bible. The Governor agreed that the prisoner was entitled to have a Bible.
The report concludes "No prisoner should be totally deprived of mental stimulation and the Home Office should intervene in the case of Paul McGee to ensure that his health is not damaged by the withdrawal of all privileges."
These are two examples. All three reports (Fine Gael, Labour and the ICPO report) make clear that the situation in the English prisons is a nightmare, just as Thomas Peavoy described in his letter and this is happening 16 months after the IRA ceasefire. Why do Irish journalists not cover this issue? Are they not interested or are they not allowed? Yours, etc., The Cloisters, Dublin 6W.