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27 August 1998 Edition

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Back issue: Another attempt to stop truth

``For two weeks now the prison administration have really gone out of their way to try and stop our statutory monthly half hour visit with use of degrading, dehumanising search procedures - ie, bending men over forcefully and examining their back passage and other private parts of the body, as well as the hair, beard, mouth, armpits and soles of the feet.

``Today we faced a further phase in this attempt to stop visits when men who receive a visit of 15 minutes (due to the fact that they are appealing their cases) found a screw sitting beside them in their visiting box taking notes while two other screws looked on from outside the box.

``When the visitors or prisoner spoke about anything other than their appeal case the visit was terminated by the watching screws. Some families came over a hundred miles for a fifteen minute visit. One mother said to her son: ``Your father is not well'' and she was about to describe the illness when the visit was abruptly brought to a halt by the screws who stated that this did not concern the prisoner's case.

``It was pointed out by the prisoners that they could not discuss their cases as the screws were listening and taking notes. This is only another blatant attempt to stop the truth of what is going on behind the closed doors of the H-Blocks reaching the outside world. What next?''

PRO, H5 Block

Republican News, 26 August 1978.




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