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Website visits.
Radio Foyle Broadcast on Derry Marian Price
Public meeting - click below to play.
radio foyle breakfast.mp3
The current incarceration of Marian Price and her state of health which I believe to be morally wrong...I want to make it clear that Ms Price should be released and I conveyed this to the Minister and his officials this afternoon.”
Pat Ramsey SDLP MLA
The continuing imprisonment of Marian Price in Maghaberry is a scandal and would be seen more widely in this light were it not for her politics.
'It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the reason there hasn’t been more of a hullaballoo about this matter is that many of those who might have been expected to stand up for civil rights are repelled by Ms Price’s politics'...
'the extent to which civil rights are defended in the political mainstream is to some extent at least determined by the political beliefs of whomever is being denied their rights'...
Eamonn McCann Journalist, Human Rights Activist, Amnesty Award Winner
It is a retrograde step and is reminiscent of the worst days of the conflict when the government showed scant regard for fundamental human rights standards.”
Pat Finucane Centre -
Derry Based Human Rights Group
The treatment of Marian Price has to be of deep concern to anyone who values human rights.
Liam Gallagher, Secretary
Derry Trades Council
The move by Owen Patterson amounts to detention without trial; this runs contrary to natural justice. The justice system needs to be based on human rights protection; the revoking of Marian Price’s licence runs contrary to that.
Raymond McCartney SF MLA
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Free Marian campaign Dublin
The Free Marian Price Campaign will be holding the monthly picket on Saturday the 7th of July at 2pm at the GPO to call for the release of Marian Price. Please join us and spread the word. This is a non-party political picket therefore only posters and banners without party names on them should be brought. The campaign group will provide placards.
Justice for Marian meeting in Coalisland,Tyrone
Motion adopted by Dublin City Council
That Dublin City Council calls for the release of Marian Price on health and humanitarian grounds and requests an explanation for the incarceration of Marian Price from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland and First and Deputy First Ministers in Northern Ireland.
Protest at Dublin council meeting.
A motion was adopted at the meeting to support Marian's
immediate release
Tourists in Belfast show support for Marian
The Free Marian Price Dublin Campaign will be holding a picket outside of Dublin City
Hall on Monday, the 2nd of July at 6.30pm. City councillors will be discussing Marian's
case at the council meeting and debating a motion calling for the release of Marian Price.
Please join us and spread the word. There will be no party political posters at the picket.
Justice for Marian campaigners will assemble at the International Wall Falls Road/Divis Street on Saturday the 30th June at 11.am tohighlight the continued illegal internment of Marian despite her critical state of health and medical experts recommendations.We ask all available supporters to join us for leaflet distribution and petition signing throughout the day. Our aim is to spread the message of this grave injustice worldwide and one avenue is to inform the numerous tourists attracted to the Wall.
AOH Official stance on the Marian Price case
“The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America believes that the incarceration without charges of Marian Price is a return to the discredited time when British Security Forces would intern Irish Republicans on a whim and with no evidence. This may be viewed as a serious violation of the Good Friday Agreement. We ask that this seriously ill woman be released immediately to her physicians and her family.” Seamus Boyle National President and Brendan Moore National Vice President Presented by AOH Brooklyn County President Jim Sullivan at the Free Marian Price Campaign, US “Evening in Solidarity with Marian Price” on July 27, 2012. 
There will be a bus from Belfast to Coalisland for anyone wishing to attend the meeting.
For further information and to book a seat contact 07925335146
Statement from Price and McGlinchey family
June 22nd 2012
Marian Price's husband Jerry McGlinchey and the Price family have concerns in relation to this latest move to a secure hospital unit in Belfast. Past moves made
on medical grounds have proved detrimental and indeed exacerbated Marian's complex medical conditions. In recent discussions with medical consultants
charged with Marian's care it was stated that an unsuitable environment would
be 'counter-therapeutic'. In fact a doctor representing the state gave evidence
that going to a secure hospital unit would compound Marian's acute illnesses
and would mitigate against any beneficial treatment.
We welcome the intervention of the UN doctors who will visit Marian over the
coming days and trust that they will make a speedy report on her condition given
the urgency of the situation. The family hope that this move to a secure unit is
not a cynical ploy on the eve of a visit by UN doctors to stymie any criticism of Marian's treatment. We are also concerned that the media were privy to information
about this move before her family were informed.
We can confirm that Marian has been moved to an outside hospital today June 22nd just days before UN appointed doctors are due to
visit Marian in Hydebank Prison on Wednesday June 27th
British NGOs, activists, academics and lawyerscall for release of Marian and Martin Corey
To read click link to the Pat Finucane centre document on the main menu above
Bloody Sunday family members Kate and Linda Nash
I am filled with fear for our people, it is very apparent that the Governments intentions against anyone who is not a drone in our society will no doubt lose their freedom, self expression even in a peaceful manner will not be tolerated. I attended a Marian Price Rally on Saturday evening , one of many that is well supported here and abroad and was so saddened by the plight of Marians family who are doing everything possible to gain her release , they are so fearful of her health that has deteriorated so dreadfully over the past year. I am calling on every member of our society to come out and support these Rally's against internment , help get this lady home to her family. Please believe this !!! History is already repeating itself in this country and the next knock on the door could be for you!!!!! Innocent people are being interned now and the signs are clear, there's going to be a lot more .
Kate Nash
Linda Nash
Bloody Sunday March Organizers
Free Marian Price Campaign, US
John Duddy will be reading at the "Evening in Solidarity with Marian
Price" on Wednesday June 27 at 7 pm at O'Lunney's 145 W. 45 Street, between 6th & 7th Avenue. 
Photos from the public meeting in Dublin.
Speakers; Maureen O'sullivan - Independent TD,
Ite Ni Chionnaith - Human Rights and Irish Language Activist,
Michael Finucane - Human Rights Lawyer
Monsignor Raymond Murray - Human Rights Activist
Jerry McGlinchey - Marian's husband
At the rally/protest Jerry McGlinchey told the crowd
"When I look at my wife I am, of course gravely worried. She has been in prison now for 394 days and her health is of great concern to us, her family. When I look at my wife I also feel great admiration, because I honestly feel that myself and most people I know would have been broken well before now. She is close to the edge, a place where her recovery will take a long time to happen, if it ever does. How she is bearing up is testament to the strong woman that she is."
Visit the press section for further information
Photos from recent protest in New york
FREE MARIAN PRICE CAMPAIGN, US
Thursday June 7, 7 pm
Edison Ballroom 240 W 47th St between 7th & 8th Ave
Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee. But in Northern
Ireland her government has imprisoned Marian Price for over a year without a trial, sentence, or release date. Unless the courts intervene she could spend the rest of her life in prison. 
Please make an effort to attend. In particular we would call on everyone to attend the
rally which will be addressed by ex-prisoners and ex-internees at 7pm.
 Protest for Marian in Dublin
The Free Marian Price Dublin Committe.Will be holding a Protest on Sat 2nd of June from 2pm
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TD Maureen O'Sullivan addresses the March for Marian May 27th 2012
Recent protest in Belfast on the Falls Road
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A recent protest at Dublin City Council
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United Nations Send Doctor to Assess Marian.
For full article please visit the Press page.
Belfast March for Marian
New updated leaflet
Events and activities marking the anniversary of Marian's internment
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A series of activties took place to
mark the anniversary of Marian's internment. Crowds including MLA's from the SDLP & Sinn Fein were
at events in Belfast and Derry to highlight the ongoing internment
and torture of Marian.
Supporters in Port Glasgow also
took the opportunity to call for
Marian's release.
Thank you for your ongoing
support.
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Breaking News
Marian was arrested on May 13th last year and charged with encouraging support for an illegal organisation. Today in the Derry Court these charges were dropped.
Mural to be unveiled in Belfast
The Justice for Marian Campaign in Belfast will unveil a mural on the Whiterock Road on Sunday
the 13th May 2012. All supporters of the Campaign are invited to assemble at the Whiterock
Leisure Centre at 3.00pm and then proceed to the mural which has been painted by very talented
local artists. Marian was arrested on the same date one year ago and remains interned in isolation. She has been tortured, neglected and denied the most basic human rights. This treatment has
ensured that a woman who was in very poor health is now chronically ill. The event is to highlight Marian's plight as she enters a second year of internment - an illegal act contrived by the British Secretary of State Owen Paterson and the Northern Ireland Office. They have 'lost/shredded' a
pardon given to Marian in 1980 when she was close to death. We call on everyone to come out
and help highlight this scandalous situation to ensure that it happens to no-one else. All of us must mark this day by a strong presence and with a united voice shout loudly to
FREE MARIAN PRICE! She has done and would do it for you.
International and local support for Marian.
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Protest at Dublin May Day rally.
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Marian's husband Jerry McGlinchey addresses the
Justice for Marian Rally in Derry on Sun 22nd April
Justice for Marian event in New York
Solidarity Event for Marian Price
As driving rains and threats of a Nor’easter kept most New Yorkers inside this past Sunday afternoon, close to one-hundred people filled Rocky Sullivan’s Pub in Red Hook, Brooklyn. They came to unite against a revived internment policy in Ireland, and to stand in solidarity with the basic human rights and due process deserved by every citizen in a democracy. The continued imprisonment of Marian Price for … well, no one knowswhat for because the British government hasn’t made that clear. For allegedly providing a mobile phone to people who were charged with killing two British soldiers, even though the accused in that case was found not guilty? For holding a piece of paper that held words critical of British rule in Ireland?
Most people are confused about the specific charges against Marian Price, because Secretary of Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, has simply “revoked her license” (what we in the U.S. call parole). Marian had served years in prison for her role in the IRA bombing of the Old Bailey in London in 1973. Her legal team insists that Marian, in fact, received the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (the “Queen’s Pardon”) in 1980, when she was freed, having suffered extreme physical and emotional debilitation from forced feeding and torture while on hunger strike in British jails in the 1970s. British authorities now claim that the document specifying the conditions of Marian’s release in 1980 “cannot be located.” Their word on this -- and their word that Marian is a threat -- is supposed to be good enough.
Marian Price has been in solitary confinement in a British cell for nearly a year now, and faces the rest of her life in prison. Her case, though it spotlights some of the most blatant disregard for due process we’ve seen in a long time, and has caused immeasurable pain to her family and friends, is not simply about one person. The capriciousness of British justice in a period, post Good Friday Agreement, when this is all supposed to be in the past, sends a strong message that London can and will arbitrarily imprison anyone they are inclined to in the north. Past is present, and future. Today it’s Marian Price, tomorrow it could be anyone under suspicion. There need be no proof. And this case is not simply about Irish people or the British government. The same arbitrary, capricious and callous disregard for due process can be witnessed increasingly in our own country and in democracies across the globe.
Just over a month ago, Bernadette Devlin McAliskey and Msgr. Raymond Murray spoke at a community meeting at Conway Mill in Befast for Marian Price’s release. A video of that meeting went viral in Irish America. We heard the call: “Organize, Agitate, Educate!” At that meeting community members spoke of their re-committal to a new civil and human rights movement against the British government’s ability to lock up anyone who speaks dissent in the alleged democracy. The crowd included people who identify across the fragmented political parties and affiliations of the north, from SWP to SDLP. Their message was united in solidarity with Marian and with all those imprisoned for who they are, rather than what they have done.
Picture above - Sandy Boyer: Human Rights Activitist.
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We wanted to do the same on our shores. Lifelong Irish American activist, Sandy Boyer, echoed the call. We expected about twenty people would show up. And as the Nor’easter approached, we figured we’d settle for ten and call it “a meeting,” a good start in preparation for bigger events in the future. But Rocky Sullivan’s was filled. The crowd was as diverse as that at Conway Mill, with concerned Irish Americans from across the American and Irish political spectrums. Musicians Mary Courtney, Ray Collins, Peadar o hÍcí, and Chris Byrne entertained and inspired. Brehon Law Society Delegate to the U.N., Gen. Jim Cullen, a human rights lawyer, spoke passionately about the rights of Marian and of all of those improperly accused and incarcerated in violation of the basic tenets of a democracy. Visual artist Conor McGrady gave a presentation on the role of the artist in the history of resistance to oppression in the north. All attendees signed post cards sent to Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson demanding the release of Marian Price.
Past is present ... and future. And instead of having to hold a humble meeting, a “good start,” we all knew a solidarity movement was born. Orreborn.
– Michael Patrick MacDonald, Author, All Souls: A Family Story from Southie
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Derry Justice for Marian campaigners highlight Marian's ongoing
internment and torture to President of Ireland Michael D Higgins.
Members of the Justice for Marian Group in Derry held an impromptu rally today to coincide
with a visit to Derry by President Michael D Higgins. Literature updating the president on
Marian's case was passed to the president and also to Martin McGuinness.
Derry calls for the release of Marian Price
1000 people in Derry City Centre today called for the release of Marian Price. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone wo turned up and to the speakers. We will be adding more photos shortly and hope to have video footage of the event.
The press page will be updated with the coverage as soon as it becomes available.
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Murals on the Falls Road Belfast have been changed to include
FREE MARIAN PRICE.
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Statement from British Irish Rights Watch
In recent days the NIO have issued a response to the letter sent
to Owen Paterson. The response contains quite a few inaccuracies
and raises further questions.
Facts
Marian Price was released on licence close to death on April 30th 1980.
Facts
Marian Price was released on licence close to death on April 30th 1980.
One week later she was granted the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (pardon) which according to
her solicitor at that time wiped the slate clean and overrode the one week old licence.
How can the Secretary of State and the authorities claim to know what the pardon covered
given it has been either lost or shredded?
The NIO strongly deny that Marian has been subjected to what experts define as torture.
The NIO strongly deny that Marian has been subjected to what experts define as torture.
Marian spent ten months in isolation in Maghaberry all male prison and still remains isolated in
an alleged health care facility in Hydebank.
Juan Mendez the United Nations special Rapporteur on torture states 'Indefinite and prolonged
solitary confinement in excess of 15 days should be subject to an absolute prohibition.'
“Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause, it can amount
to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment,
during pre-trial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental
disabilities or juveniles."
Marian's treatment is in direct conflict with current human rights legislation.
Recommendations made by numerous health care professionals to have Marian treated outside
of the prison environment have been ignored. Treatment deemed necessary to treat the damage caused by ongoing isolation (torture) and neglect.
As a segregated prisoner interacting with other prisoners isn't an option. This suggestion is
clearly an attempt to de-personalise and criminalise Marian and cause her further
distress.
The reality is... Marian is being illegally held (interned) at the whim of Owen Patterson
(an English politician unelected and unaccountable to the people here ) and MI5 (unaccountable government intelligence agency). The document that would secure her release has been
destroyed . Marian has been subjected to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. There has
been scant regard shown for human rights and legal challenges to her internment as well as recommendations of numerous health care professionals.
Tell it like it is, this is
Internment, Torture and Political Vindictiveness.
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Peggy O'Hara mother of Derry Hunger Striker Patsy O'Hara supports the Justice for Marian Campaign and will lead the procession in Derry with Monsignor Raymond Murray on April 22nd.
Marian Price
Imprisoned, tortured, humiliated
- The Holy Land 2,000 years ago, Belfast today?
An Evening of Reflection with:
* Monsignor Raymond Murray - former chaplain to Armagh Women’s gaol
* Peter Corrigan - solicitor for Marian Price
* Fr. Martin Magill - Parish Priest, St. Oliver Plunkett Parish
Plus testimonies from former Armagh and Maghaberry prisoners
7.30pm
Tuesday 3rd April 2012
St. Oliver Plunkett Church,
Glenveagh Drive, Lenadoon
In preparation for Easter, this is an opportunity to hear from Mgr. Raymond Murray and Peter Corrigan about the ongoing incarceration of
local woman Marian Price.
Marian has been in gaol since May last year. The British Secretary of State claimed he was revoking her licence (dating back to 1980) even
though Marian was granted a pardon due to ill health. The British government have since admitted to shredding this Royal Prerogative of
Justice which Marian’s solicitor is sure would secure her release.
Marian has been held in solitary confinement for almost a year, first in Maghaberry Gaol and lately in the hospital wing of Hydebank.
This has led to a sharp deterioration in her health. The UN defines continued isolation as torture. Monsignor Murray has referred to Marian’s
detention as “internment under another guise.”
We will also hear about the continuing regime of forced strip searches in Maghaberry prison and the effect it is having on the mental and
physical health of the prisoners.
As we remember and contemplate what happened during Holy Week two thousand
years ago, can we really ignore what is happening here in Belfast today?
For more information, please contact Glen Phillips on 028 9061 8180
Photos from a recent event held at Free Derry Corner in Derry to highlight the ongoing
internment and torture of Marian Price
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We within the Justice For Marian campaign would like to thank all those who turned out at the events and to sign the petitions at Dunville Park over the weekend.We managed to collect thousands of signatures on our petitions and letters and will continue to collect more in other areas.
We would extend that thanks to the local traders who were very supportive and the speakers at yesterdays Rally... Maura McCrory, Human Rights Lawyer Padragin Drinan, Nuala Perry and Gerard Hodgkins.
Photographs from Dunville Park Belfast .
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Dunville Park is on the Falls Road Belfast.
Dublin Meeting
Meeting to support Marian Price in Dublin
A packed public meeting, which was conducted bilingually, was held in
Dublin on Sunday 25th March, where demands were made for the immediate
release of Republican prisoner, Marian Price.
“Internment and torture” were the terms used by the first speaker,
Monsignor Raymond Murray, in describing Marian Price’s imprisonment,
and he named Secretary of State, Owen Patterson, as responsible. The
Chairperson of the meeting, Íte Ní Chionnaith, agreed strongly with
the points made that it was unjust, illegal and inhuman to keep Marian
Price in prison, given her illness. Two friends of Marian’s spoke,
themselves ex-prisoners, Nuala Perry and Eibhlín Collins, asking that
the campaign for Marian’s freedom be broadened, and they gave an
account of her present suffering and the injustice surrounding her
imprisonment.
When the courts granted Marian bail in 2011, as Monsigner Murray
stated, Secretary of State Patterson revoked a licence given to her in
1980 and she was immediately re-arrested. But she had also been
pardoned – what is called the “Royal Prerogative of Mercy”, which was
given in 1980. This demonstrated the inhumanity of Patterson,
according to Mons. Murray. The British authorities announced that
they were unable to find a copy of the pardon which had been given to
Marian, or that it had been shredded. Or so they say. “Can we
believe them ?” the Monsignor asked the crowd. It is believed that
Marian Price would have to be released if a copy of this pardon could
be found.
Íte Ní Chionnaith spoke about the suffering of Marian Price. “Imagine
how awful it was for Marian and her sister Dolours in 1973 when they
were tied to a chair during their hunger strike in Brixton Prison in
England and were force fed. A pipe was put down their throat and
liquid was poured into it, down to their stomach, while they fought
against it, until they almost choked. Marian was in bad health when
she was transferred to Ireland in 1975 and it was on health grounds
that she was released in 1980. Now almost 40 years later, at 57 years
of age, she is interned under barbaric conditions. This is a complete
violation of human rights.
Having spent ten months in solitary confinement in Maghaberry, Marian
Price’s health was so bad that she was transferred to Hydebank on 17
February, “a health facility” (so called) in which proper healthcare
is not available. Her doctor said that she must be transferred to a
hospital outside the prison. Her family and friends are very worried
about her. She has physical and psychological problems due to the
dreadful conditions of her detention, the terrible legacy of her
forced-feeding in 1973, the long years spent in Armagh Jail, and
knowing that her detention is unjust and against human rights.
It was a turbulent meeting and people were angry at the treatment of
Marian. It was agreed that the Campaign should be strengthened and
that the urgency of the case should be publicized.
On the finest afternnon of the year sofar, more than 200 people came
to this meeting to demand justice for Marian Price, and a good many
people failed to get in the door due to lack of space. Among those
attending were Marian’s sisters Dolours and Clare, her brother, and
Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú. Well-attended meetings had already been
held in Derry and Belfast, and there will be a large event in Derry on
22 April next, at 2.30 p.m.
The Pat Finucane Centre
Derry based Human Rights Group -The Pat Finucane Centre have submitted a report to the Committee for the prevention of Torture highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses against Marian Price.
Derry's World Famous Bogside Artists.
This wonderful visual was given to the Justice For Marian Campaign group In Derry by the very talented Bogside Artists. It has been placed at Free Derry Corner.
Write to David Ford the 'Justice Minister' to demand the release of Marian Price
Write to Owen Patterson British Secretary of
State and demand the release of Marian Price
We would ask people to write to Owen Patterson the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
We have drafted a sample letter with some pertinent questions. We would ask people to pass
this letter to friends and relatives and enourage them to also write to Owen Patterson.
Hundreds attend public meeting in Belfast in support of Marian Price
Video Footage from meeting
The meeting tonight was a fantastic success, such was the size of the crowd that attended
that people had to stand in the corridor looking in.
Ongoing torture of Marian Price exposes cynical DOJ Public Relations stunt.
To date the Justice for Marian website has contained news paper articles only. After talking with a family member today it has been decided that the public need to be made fully aware of the seriousness of the situation.
On the 17th of February Marian Price was moved to the health care centre at Hydebank women's prison after spending ten months in isolation in Maghaberry all male prison. It is claimed this move was the result of 'clinical advice' given by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust. Many believe this move was a knee jerk reaction to the increasing public awareness of Marian's plight, that culminated with a campaign meeting in Derry the night prior to the move. I have been told Marian's surroundings are far from clinical and the unsanitary conditions she arrived to prove Hydebank was in no way prepared for her arrival. The new regime she has been placed under is worse than she experienced in Maghaberry and would seem to be designed to de-personalise and further criminalise Marian Price.
She is now being held in one of three observation cells at the end of a corridor. The area is screened from the view of other prisoners who call to the centre for medication. There are monitoring cameras in the three cells two of which are locked. She has been told that the one she occupies has had the camera switched off, she has no way of knowing if this is true or not. The area is very restrictive and cramped. There is no unsupervised access to fresh air. The "Health Care Centre" is staffed by a combination of nursing prison officers who carry keys and some agency personnel. It is NOT a hospital wing. We would urge those in a position of influence to visit the prison and look beyond the visiting area.
Marian has a shower in her cell and without going into detail she has no privacy. A constant stream of prison staff enter her cell leaving her feeling like an exhibit at a time when she is feeling extremely unwell.
When I asked for a description of Marian I was told she looks physically drained, she has suffered a dramatic weight loss and is very pale - she looks extremely ill. She is also very agitated and appears to be under extreme pressure. Not surprising really given she has endured ten months of what the experts have clearly defined as torture.
To add to her hardship she is being constantly hounded to become involved in "activities" when she is so clearly unwell that she cannot. A written time-table of inane activities was given to her on Friday the 2nd of March which she considered insulting and calculated. This timetable is designed to dictate how she should spend her day from what time she should get dressed to what time she should read a book (Marian can no longer read books as she is unable to concentrate).It has been suggested to Marian that she can avail of the kitchen facilities to cook when the other prisoners are locked up. Marian's hands are completely deformed with chronic arthritis, therefore cooking is a strenuous a task not therapy. In what is quite clearly an attempt to humiliate her Marian has been told as a treat she can be brought to the kennels to visit the sniffer dogs used in searches.
A very worrying aspect is the constant hints and suggestions of "interaction" with other prisoners. Family members witnessed this and pointed out to the governor the sensitivities involved. Marian has to constantly repeat that she is a SEGREGATED PRISONER and not a CRIMINAL. It is clear that this treatment is adding to the deterioration in Marian's health.
It is obvious for all to see that attempts are being made to normalise what is evidently an abnormal situation. No-one appears to be taking account of the fact that Marian has been (and continues to be) held in isolation for 10 months.
It is obvious for all to see that attempts are being made to normalise what is evidently an abnormal situation. No-one appears to be taking account of the fact that Marian has been (and continues to be) held in isolation for 10 months.
I have been told Marian feels like she is "in a zoo" with so many unwanted "visitors".She is isolated in an environment of constant interruptions which is totally unsettling. People arrive into her cell unannounced and the lack of privacy is degrading. The truth of this charade under the guise of a "health care package" must be exposed for what it is... a contrived public relations exercise to disguise the isolation and torture of a woman in need of urgent medical intervention.
Veteran Republican and Human Rights activist Marian Price has been in isolation in Maghaberry prison from May last year. Marian was arrested following an Easter Commemoration In Derry and charged with encouraging support for an illegal organisation after holding a piece of paper for a masked man. A common occurrence at Easter commemorations over the past forty years and one that until 2011 no one had been jailed for.
On May 16th 2011 Marian appeared in Derry Court and was granted bail on the charge against her. As Marian reached the steps outside the court she was re-arrested by the PSNI. The basis for the arrest was that on the night prior to her court hearing the Secretary of State Owen Patterson signed a document revoking the licence Marian was originally released from prison on in 1980.
On May 16th 2011 Marian appeared in Derry Court and was granted bail on the charge against her. As Marian reached the steps outside the court she was re-arrested by the PSNI. The basis for the arrest was that on the night prior to her court hearing the Secretary of State Owen Patterson signed a document revoking the licence Marian was originally released from prison on in 1980.
It is an accepted fact that Marian's licence became defunct when she was pardoned under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy weeks after her release over 30 years ago. The pardon was issued by then Secretary of State Sir Humphrey Atkins and in effect wiped the slate clean for Marian Price. The British authorities have recently claimed that the pardon granted to Marian has been shredded.
Whilst held in isolation in an all male prison Marian had further scurrilous charges brought against her and for a second time was granted bail. Despite this she remains incarcerated on the whim of a single politician. The reality of this situation is Marian Price is being held for offences committed nearly forty years ago that she was in fact pardoned for.
This situation raises some very serious questions.
This situation raises some very serious questions.
What gives the Secretary of State the right to pre-empt due process?
On what legal basis did the Secretary of State revoke a defunct licence?
How can the secretary of state dismiss the rulings of two judges?
If a politician can over rule the judiciary then why have a legal system?
If a politician can over rule the judiciary then why have a legal system?
How can a minister unaccountable to the Stormont Assembly disregard the justice powers devolved to the Stormont Assembly?
Why does the Northern Ireland Office continue to disregard a well publicised document a document they have never denied exists? A document they have recently admitted to shredding.
How can one man be above the law?
Marian Price has spent nine months in isolation in an all male prison, this is tantamount to psychological torture and in violation of her human rights. The ongoing incarceration and abuse of Marian Price needs to be addressed and opposed by people everywhere. Marian is Fifty seven years old and is in very poor health. This has rightly been described in the press as an act of political vindictiveness.
How can one man be above the law?
Marian Price has spent nine months in isolation in an all male prison, this is tantamount to psychological torture and in violation of her human rights. The ongoing incarceration and abuse of Marian Price needs to be addressed and opposed by people everywhere. Marian is Fifty seven years old and is in very poor health. This has rightly been described in the press as an act of political vindictiveness.
The illegal detention and abuse of Marian Price...
Not in my name!
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| letter to ford.doc Size : 69.5 Kb Type : doc |
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