POA Attempt To Scupper Agreement
During recent conversations between republican prisoners and their families, the prisoners told of how the prison staff have been attempting to frustrate the implementation of the Agreement reached on the 12th August 2010. Over this last week the republican prisoners in Roe House have recorded the various attempts by the POA to undermine the Agreement and force a return to the previous regime. This cannot be allowed to happen.
Some of these actions include:
- The delaying of unlock periods
- Refusal to allow access to the classrooms
- Limiting numbers of prisoners on the landings below that which was agreed
- Refusing to deal with the prisoner’s representatives
As stated in the Agreement a prisoners’ forum was established to deal with such issues. However, after such a meeting took place today, the prisoners stated that “attempts had been made to rewrite the Agreement”.
The Joint Facilitation Group (JFG), David Forde’s advisor and the Director of Prisons, Robin Masefield, all of whom have been tasked to oversee the Agreement, have been contacted. A further meeting of the Prisoners’ Forum has been scheduled in for tomorrow Thursday 19th August 2010.
The POA’s position in relation to the Agreement was made clear to the prisoners by the erecting of posters on the walls stating “Maze Mark 2”.
The actions of the POA cannot be allowed to succeed. It is imperative that the POA is “faced down” in this attempt to return us to the past.
