Sir, - I am saddened by the latest report from the Fine Gael delegation after its recent visit to Irish prisoners in English jails. And I am even more saddened by the (lack of) reaction from the media and politicians here in Ireland.
The FG parliamentarians found that conditions had continued to worsen since the IRA ceasefire. Prisoners' families are now being subject to closed visits; there is no education, books, papers or radio; heat was turned off during the severe cold; prisoners are being denied sleep by being disturbed every half hour during the night and the FG visitors noticed that the prisoners appearance had deteriorated due to poor diet.
Not surprisingly, many prisoners have developed serious medical problems for which they are being denied treatment. For instance, Patrick Kelly suffered from skin cancer, but his urgently needed treatment was delayed for 10 months, and now his cancer has reoccurred.
It should be noted that several of these prisoners have served over 20 years in English jails, even though they were not convicted of murder. Not only have they been refused release after all this time, they have even been refused transfer to Ireland. Contrast this with the treatment of British soldiers Ian Thain and Lee Clegg who, despite being convicted of killing in Ireland, were immediately transferred to English jails, released within two years and promoted back into the British army.
It is time that the Irish Government spoke out publicly about this treatment of Irish prisoners, which seems certain to put the peace process at great risk, and put maximum pressure on the British government to change its hard line stance. In the 1970s, the Irish Government took Britain to the European Court over the treatment of prisoners in interrogation centres. This resulted in significant improvements, and should be done again. - Yours, etc.,
Burren Court,
Ballymun,
Dublin 11.