Prisoners Demand Right to Organise Landing

national | miscellaneous | press release Thursday January 21, 2010 00:09 by Richard Walsh - Republican Sinn Féin tiocfaidh at btinternet dot com c/- Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223, Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland +44-7835 620 592 / +353-87 261 8603

Republican prisoners demand right to organise their own landing

Statement from the Republican Sinn Féin POW department

The denial of a separate landing for the CIRA PoWs in Portlaoise prison is part of a policy to criminalise the continued Irish Republican resistance to British rule in Ireland.

Since 1917, 22 Irish Republicans have died in defence of their right to political status.

In the 1940s the Republican Prisoners in Portlaoise were among the first ‘Blanketmen’ in opposition to criminalisation. In the 1970s Republican prisoners endured a 47-day hunger strike.

The Republican prisoners in Portlaoise today are defending the same right to political status because they are part of the same struggle.

The CIRA prisoners demand their right to a separate landing. The CIRA PoWs' demand is simple – they want to continue to be treated as political prisoners - as other groups in the jail are.

CRÍOCH / ENDS