"Aiden
may be home by Christmas". Hard to believe.
Previous messages indicated September, October
and then November. However, in early December
two brothers, both serving long-terms, Aiden and
Robert Hulme, held in different jails in England,
were both repatriated, initially to E-2 Wing,
Portlaoise Prison, and Co. Laoise.
This
development was highly welcomed, especially by
those groups and individuals, who campaigned for
political prisoners over a number of years. Robert
had been relegated to 'second place', so 'a double',
early Christmas present was viewed as an unexpected
campaign 'bonus'. Understandably, at home and
abroad, the diverse campaigners' central humanitarian
emphasis was on Aiden's ill-health., and a speedy
return to Ireland, for in-dept medical examinations
and hopefully, better treatment.
Aiden
Hulme has suffered a severe injury to a leg as
a result of a motor-bike accident in Belfast,
prior to his arrest. After "settling-in"
Aiden sent out a draft of a 'New Year's Greetings'
letter. It expressed heart-felt thanks to all
those who kept up communication with him, and
those who made direct interventions, on a number
of occasions. Although not named, these included
the SDLP leader, a few journalists, and clergy
etc., who responded to requests from groups such
as the Oct. 5 th. Assoc., an independent network
of 1968 civil rights veterans and supporters.
Over
the years other groups have campaigned on prison
issues. These include. the Irish Freedom Committee,
USA, Radio Free Eireann, NYC, Irish Political
Status Committee (London), the Irish Commission
for Prisoners Overseas (Co. Kildare), the Irish
Republican Prisoners' Welfare Association and
the on-line newsroom of the Irish Anti-Partition
League, to name but a few. Aiden also thanked
those who attended pickets in Dublin, Chicago,
London and New York, etc., in a bid to highlight
his plight. Such was his suffering and lack of
proper treatment, his legal team filed a case
for medical neglect against the British prison
service.
When
Aiden was examined in Portlaoise the pain-killing
drugs issued in England, deemed adequate for his
condition, were immediately binned.. A new medical
regime was introduced, which, within a few days,
enabled an 80% reduction in pain, with the resultant
'luxury' of being able to have a good-night's
sleep.
His
New Year message commented: "My brother and
I have settled in well on E-3 Wing. The men here,
and on the other wings, have been very supportive
and welcoming. Now, I am delighted to note that
the medical treatment I am receiving for my injured
leg is more than adequate".
He
continued: "In due course I am to be moved
to Portlaoise hospital for more tests, and the
medical people here assure me more can and will
be done to help me walk again. That's in sharp
contrast to what I was told in Full Sutton prison
last year-that no more could, or would be done,
for my injury, and that I would probably lose
my leg. I believe now, that if my repatriation
had not happened, my medical condition, and my
health generally, would have greatly deteriorated."
To
his credit, he ends his correspondence: "Please
remember also Noel Maguire, now isolated and vulnerable
in HM Prison, Full Sutton. There he was subjected
to an unprovoked life-threatening knife attack,
and hospitalised, in October 2005. Noel is currently
not only the last remaining PoW in England, but
is now apparently a political hostage as well,
due to the stance of Michael McDowell. Noel's
most recent application has, once again, been
refused."
A
partitionist mindset?
With
Aiden and Robert back in Ireland an equally bright
spotlight was re-focused on Noel Francis Maguire,
from Co. Fermanagh. Previously he felt he had
been somewhat neglected. Noel, born 22.12.1968,
is now the last on the list entitled to be repatriated.
Alas, as with the Hulme brothers, et al, his wishes
are being frustrated by Michael McDowell TD, regretfully,
still the current right-wing Minister of Justice,
Equality and Law Reform, in spite of several justified
'leaks' leading to high-profile controversies..
Mc
Dowell, one might dare to suggest, has adopted
an outdated and narrow-minded moralistic and pro-
partitionist outlook, in relation to Maguire:
e.g., (a) Divorced. & (b) Not
a 26-County resident. The Minister thus claimed
that the prisoner has no supportive family in
Ireland.
Such
is blatantly untrue. Noel does have strong family
ties to Ireland, north and south, in addition
to holding an Irish passport, issued in Dublin
. Therefore under the current constitution Noel
should be treated equally, as every Irish citizen
deserves and should expect. It's also noteworthy
that before going to England, he did reside in
Co. Carlow between 1998 and 2000, where his former
wife and two children still reside.
He
has four siblings living in Co. Fermanagh. His
partner, since 1999, a native of Ballina, Co.
Mayo, currently resides in London with her fifteen-year-old
daughter. She regularly undertakes the seven hour
round trip to visit him in prison, and wishes
to return home as soon as possible. to care for
her elderly mother, once Noel is repatriated.
She
and Noel, prior to his arrest, planned to return
to Ballina to reside on a full-time basis, in
2001. She is the only daughter of a close family
of seven children, headed by her mother, now a
widow. The immediate and extended family circle
are aware of Mr. Maguire's situation and are supportive
of the relationship, and look forward to Noel
and his partner's return to Ireland.
Long
Sentences
Noel
is currently serving a term of 22 years imprisonment.
It was alleged that he was a member of an ASU.
Long sentences were imposed on all the alleged
members linked to explosives-related charges.
Police reports alleged that " his fingerprints
were found on a banknote which was used to purchase
a maroon taxi that exploded outside the BBC Television
Centre in London, in 2001".
His
parole eligibility date in the UK is 14, November,
2012 and his non-parole release date is 16, July,
2016. He greatly desires to be repatriated, long
before then, so as to make contact with, and re-build
a loving relationship with his young children,
a son and a daughter, hopefully before they attain
adulthood. Both are unaware that he is in an English
prison.
Mc
Dowell's second refusal to grant repatriation
was signed on 25 April 2006. Around July of the
same year another application was submitted, on
the grounds that Noel's circumstances had changed
and that his ex-wife would visit him in Portlaoise,
accompanied by the children. However, in spite
of intense lobbying, the Prison Policy Division
duly wrote: "It is recommended that this
application be again refused on the same grounds
as before".
Basically,
official correspondence, in April 2006, claimed
that: (1) He has no family support south of the
border (2) He is a native of the N. of Ireland;
(3) His closest relationship is UK-based &
(4) He previously expressed a desire to transfer
to the North of Ireland. At the time of writing
this article, hopefully to be published by the
on-line periodical, The Blanket, this writer was
phoned by a member of Noel's immediate family
in Co. Fermanagh. On behalf of the siblings it
was stated that they would gladly and regularly
travel to Portlaoise to visit Noel, once he is
repatriated. No doubt they too may also suspect
that McDowell adopted a moralistic and partitionist
attitude towards each of Noel's applications,
and his compliant civil servants promptly fell
into line.
Recent
solidarity
A
two-page correspondence from the civil rights
veterans and supporters network to Mr. Jason Ruffy
of the National Offenders Management Service of
the British Home Office has raised issues contained
within the Council of Europe Convention on the
Transfer of Sentenced Persons. It expressed fears
that "the unprovoked and vicious knife attack,
by two other prisoners, may be repeated, now that
he [Noel] is the only remaining Irish political
prisoner in that jail [HM Prison Full Sutton]"
. It also noted that " those inmates responsible
have been charged with attempted murder, such
was the seriousness of his injuries".
In
a reply to the on-line Derry-based civil rights
network, the Catholic Church's Irish Commission
for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) noted, 11 December
2006, "As to Mr. Noel Maguire, he has applied
twice before for repatriation and his applications
have twice been refused. Mr. Maguire applied for
the third time on the 24 th of November. We would
agree with your assessment that Mr. Maguire is
in grave danger in an English prison and we will
be writing to Michael McDowell, Minister of Justice,
pointing this out and also stressing Mr. Maguire's
ties to Ireland (his former wife and children
both live in Ireland). For all of these reasons
we will urge Minister McDowell to approve Mr.
Maguire's application for repatriation as soon
as possible".
Significantly,
that letter signed by Kate Jackson, ICPO-Maynooth,
concluded, "Thank you for your services since
2002 in advocating for Irish prisoners in English
prisons". Such acknowledges the length of
time and considerable effort involved because
of the general foot-dragging and inhumane antics
of the Dublin government, and Michael McDowell
in particular, when dealing with this and all
previous repatriation cases.
The
British Home Office's E-mail reply, re. the repatriation
of Noel Maguire, clearly states that the matter
now rests solely in the hands of the Minister
of Justice in Dublin. This E-mail reply, along
with other documentation, has been sent to Mr.
Dermot Ahern TD, the Minister for Foreign affairs,
whose department also bears constitutional responsibility
for Irish citizens abroad, incarcerated or not.
The civil rights veterans have asked this minister
to supply the names and positions held by each,
and all within the FF/PD Coalition cabinet, so
that each, and all, are made fully aware of the
seriousness and urgency of this case. The main
thrust of this correspondence is that knowledge
of Noel's applications, and the subsequent blocking
of all three, should not be the sole preserve
of the Minister for Justice and/ or his departmental
civil servants.
A
recent E-mail, to the civil rights veterans' office,
from a group of exiles, within the London-based
Irish Political Status Committee, succinctly ends
with the comments:
"Noel's
six co-defendants, all Irish like he is, have
already been repatriated to Portlaoise Prison,
and it's obvious also that the Irish Dept. of
Justice, Equality and Law Reform have made a conscious
decision to ignore Noel's special circumstances.
The fact his life is in danger, and he has already
been the victim of a cowardly attack-and likely
to be attacked again-makes him a special case
for repatriation. All this has been deliberately
set aside by that Department. He also has close
family within a short distance of Portlaoise,
and no ties at all in England".
Mc
Dowell's most recent announcement is that he will
not consider any fresh application, "until
another twelve months have elapsed". The
general public have a right to be informed on
this latest dictum, which amounts to an unreported
national scandal. Will the Irish media respond
and reveal a humanitarian professionalism that
such a case justly warrants?
Does
Noel Maguire have to be murdered in his cell before
he makes it back to Ireland?
Fionnbarra
O'Dochartaigh hails from Derry's Bogside. He was
a co-founder of the N. Ireland Civil Rights Association,
in January 1967. His published writings include:
"Ulster's White Negroes- From Civil Rights
to Insurrection", with a foreword by Bernadette
Devlin-McAliskey (Publishers: AK Press 1994).
He is one of a number of co-webmasters of such
sites as www.ia-pl.org
and www.captainkelly.org.
The civil rights veterans network's E-mail is
rights.civil@googlemail.com
