File spoon-archives/marxism-news.archive/marxism-news_1997/97-02-23.213, message 43


From: NCP-AT-geocities.com
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 18:43:22 +0000
Subject: Letter from POWS in Special Secure Unit, Belmarsh Jail, England



>Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 20:09:20 +0000
>From: RM_Distribution <rmlist-reply-AT-irlnet.com>
>To: Multiple recipients of RM_Distribution-f - Sent by
<rmlist-reply-AT-irlnet.com>

>This letter from the 11 remand Irish Political Prisoners
>held in Belmarsh Special Secure Unit (SSU) is an update to
>our letter of September 1996 into the conditions of Belmarsh
>SSU.
>
>Issued by: Pat Martin, Eoin Morrow, Gerry Hanratty, Martin
>Murphy, John Crawley, Donal Gannon, Frankie Rafferty, Jimmy
>Murphy, Brian McHugh, Pat Kelly and Michael Phillips
>
>Belmarsh Prison SSU.
>
>
>Legal Visits
>
>Seven of the prisoners, who were arrested in July 1996, have
>been committed for trial at the Old Bailey (8th April 1997).
>They were processed for arraignment without ever having the
>basic aid of normal open visits with their solicitors. The
>other four prisoners, who were arrested in September 1996,
>are due to be committed for trial next month, again without
>the necessary open legal visits, enabling them to be advised
>or to give instructions to their legal counsel. All eleven
>remand prisoners are refusing to accept the imposition of
>closed legal visits. The rationale for such a stance is as
>follows:
>
>(a)	On advice from numerous solicitors who feel strongly
>that we have the right to unimpeded legal advice.
>
>(b)	Because it is impossible to conduct any defence via
>closed visits given the complicated nature of the case(s)
>and case files.
>
>(c)	The closed visit regime is a direct impediment on the
>possibility of a fair trial.
>
>(d)	The use of closed visits is in the main directed
>against Irish Nationalists.
>
>(e) 	British Prison Rules (37(1)) state that all legal
>advisers of a prisoner shall be afforded reasonable
>facilities for legal visits.
>
>(f)	European Prison Rules (92(1-2)) also state that
>facilities for communication and visits must be reasonable
>and held in humane conditions.
>
>
>Given this set of circumstances we do not feel that we have
>any option but to refuse closed legal visits. We believe it
>would be impossible to conduct a proper defence under such
>conditions. Our solicitors are currently taking legal action
>to secure the right to have open legal visits.
>
>Family Visits
>
>We are also subjected to closed family visits. There is
>serious concern about the likely psychological effects of
>the closed visit regime on children and the negative effect
>such visits have on general familial bonds. The prison
>service maintains that  closed visits are a security
>necessity, but when one looks at the sequence of procedures
>before and after an open visit it is clear that security
>reasoning is a fudge.
>
>Before an open visit a prisoner is body frisked. He then
>goes through a metal detecting portal. Next he has a metal
>detecting wand passed over the entire body. Next he
>undergoes a full strip search, and finally changes into a
>complete set of sterile clothing (clothing and shoes a
>prisoner had no contact with prior to the visit). On the
>visit itself a member of the prison staff sits beside the
>prisoner. When the visit is over the same search procedures
>are carried out in reverse.
>
>It has been admitted privately by prison staff that there is
>no possibility of giving or taking any illicit items from an
>open visit under present security procedures. This fact begs
>the question that if there is no security problem for open
>visits then why are closed visits enforced upon us.
>
>Conclusion
>
>The present SSU regime in Belmarsh and other SSUs -
>Whitemoor and Full Sutton) have the potential for very
>serious deterioration in domestic/familial bonds, e.g.
>father/child bonding and psychological health difficulties
>of prisoners' families, children and prisoners themselves.
>
>It is also damaging to our health. The total lack of
>unimpeded sunlight will cause calcium and vitamin D
>deficiency, and the oppressive regime is a source of
>constant stress. Such conditions when endured for prolonged
>periods are seriously damaging.
>
>
>
>-----------------------------------------------
>>From RM_Distribution, an Irish Republican news 
>and information service.  http://irlnet.com/rmlist/
>
> 
>
>
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