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Firstly
as an ex-political prisoner who has served a total
of 18 years in prison from 1975 until 1993 I would
like to express my solidarity to all political prisoners
throughout the world, particularly those who are enduring
isolation and torture and especially to the political
prisoners in Turkey whose courage and dedication are
an inspiration to all of us. As someone who has experienced
every aspect of prison life during the present conflict
in Ireland which included physical and psychological
brutality, long and regular periods of solitary confinement,
forced starvation diets and various protests including
a 50 day hunger-strike in 1978 when I was 20 years
of age. I will always feel a great affinity with all
political prisoners throughout the world. Therefore
I would like to thank the organizers of this Symposium
for giving me the opportunity to speak here today
and express my personal solidarity and the solidarity
of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and of Irish
National Liberation prisoners currently imprisoned
in Ireland.
The
isolation of political prisoners is nothing new to
people who know what it is like to live under poltical
oppression. In Ireland the British have used this
tactic for over 200 years with the sole purpose of
not just breaking the spirit of captured freedom fighters
and their families but of the overall struggle for
freedom itself.
Prison
struggles have been part and parcel of Republican
resistance since the imprisonment and death of Wolfe
Tone in 1798. Republican political prisoners have
a long and honourable history of fighting back against
British brutality within the prisons which was clearly
demonstrated in 1981 when ten Republican prisoners
died on hunger-strike. Their deaths eventually smashed
Britain's criminalization policy.
The
signing of the so called Good Friday Agreement did
bring about the release of the majority of political
prisoners in Ireland in 1998. However it also brought
about the ending of political status for any further
political prisoners captured after the signing of
the GFA. The British, with the endorsement of all
political parties who supported the GFA, including
Provisional Sinn Fein, felt free to deny anti-GFA
Republican prisoners the rights that our comrades
battled hard for and died for. Once again Republican
prisoners embarked on protests as outlined by Marian
(Marian Price ex-political prisoner from the IRPWA)
in her speech yesterday and the prisoners did
indeed win a victory of separation from pro-British
death squad loyalist prisoners. Their victory this
year, against all odds, is a reflection of their resilience
and commitment to the cause of national liberation
in Ireland. The fact that political status was traded
away as part of the empty promises known as the Good
Friday Agreement is nothing short of criminal.
The
IRSP are opposed to the GFA and we fully and actively
supported the prisoners in Maghaberry. It was our
own experiences with prisoner isolation and our response
to it that led us to support the prisoners of the
DHKC on hunger-strike in Turkey. In all, there were
hundreds of prisoners on hunger-strike in Turkey seeking
the same rights that Irish revolutionaries gave their
lives for in 1981. We salute the courage and dedication
of our Turkish comrades and wish them a speedy victory.
In
like manner the IRSP and INLA prisoners wish to extend
our solidarity to Basque political prisoners, to political
prisoners in Chile, Puerto Rico, the United States,
Palestinian political prisoners and all political
prisoners throughout the world. And that is why we
join you today, each of us, who have had experiences
of prison isolation, criminalization, torture, abuse
and dehumanization through the prison system in our
own nations, cannot look upon the struggles of others
elsewhere in the world against similar evils and remain
unmoved.
As
someone who has went through prison isolation and
a hunger-strike I know the importance of International
solidarity. Therefore, I would encourage all here
today to join forces in exposing and combating the
torture of political prisoners and prisoners of war
throughout the world. What we need is a strong unified
international response. So in conclusion we in the
IRSP join with you all today in demanding an end to
prison isolation and torture of political prisoners.
In
unity let us find strength. Through that strength
let us find victory. Long live the solidarity of those
who struggle for justice.
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