Sinn Féin north Belfast Assembly member Gerry Kelly led a delegation to Long Kesh on Tuesday. In meeting with the remaining 84 Republican POWs Kelly said his aim was to keep them fully updated on the ongoing political situation.

Speaking to An Phoblacht after the meeting Kelly said, ``these were useful meetings in that we can bring them up to speed on the current Unionist impasse.''

``Many were obviously frustrated at the lack of political movement and Unionist stalling tactics,'' added Kelly, ``and, some expressed the apprehension that `here we go again' with the Unionists failing to respect the rights of Nationalists and Republicans.''

``But the reality is that the Good Friday Agreement is in essence a contract between opponents.

``And as such the words within it were negotiated long and hard by both Republicans and Unionists and represents a path forward that must be adhered to, and the contract must be implemented to open the way for the building of trust further down the line.''

Kelly also said that the political prisoners expressed 100% support for the current republican leadership.

He added that ``not a single person urged decommissioning, mainly they pointed to the last IRA statement.''

``There have been over 50 recent attacks on Catholics and the real problem is the Unionist creation of a political vacuum which historically, Loyalists have always stepped into'', stated Kelly.

Meanwhile Kelly criticised British Home Secretary Jack Straw's attempt to block the early release of four republican prisoners under the the early release programme, in effect holding them as political hostages, as at best ``insensitive and arrogant'' and at worst ``an attempt to undermine the Good Friday Agreement.''

Ex-POWs a driving force for change

by Ned Kelly
Speaking at the launch of a new report `The Cost of Imprisonment' into the personal, social and employment impact on republican former political prisoners, Avila Kilmurray, Director of the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust (NIVT) declared, ``politically motivated ex-POWs are at the forefront and actively continuing the struggle with their clear commitment to community development.''

The report conducted by the Upper Springfield Development Trust (USDT), NIVT and Tús Nua, the the USDT's New Start for ex-POWs programme, found that more than 1-in-10 (11.3%) of the adults from the Upper Springfield area had been imprisoned. Other findings show that 87% of these were first imprisoned aged under 25 (20% while still officially children). The serious implications for future employment prospects, due to the disruption in education and work skills at a time when most people are first entering the job market, is borne out by the report's findings that 87% of former prisoners are long-term unemployed.

Terry Enright, USDT Vice-Chairperson said at the launch, ``it is absolutely essential that ex-prisoners are re-intergrated back into the community. This will also help with the development of the social and economic regeneration of the area. This issue is part of the equality agenda.''

Ms Kilmurray, praised for being a strong advocate for POW re-intergration, added that the challenges for POW programmes were twofold. She said, ``the challenge is to reach out beyond those who are motivated to those who lack confidence'' and the external challenge to educate, against a background of prejudice, those who failed to understand fully the importance and potential of politically motivated ex-POWs.

Kilmurray spoke of the personal, often hidden cost of imprisonment, the former prisoners who were unable to come to terms with the brutal treatment they received from the `justice' and jail systems, the impact on relationships and the problems associated with alcohol abuse. She also touched on the cost to those who while they remained out of the jails were similarly imprisoned, the parents, wives, partners and children of those imprisoned.

The risk of permanent exclusion from employment was also raised by USDT economic development officer, Liam Stone who called for an amnesty both north and south for politically motivated prisoners.

He went to say, ``convictions must be wiped out, they are a restriction to jobs in the civil service, in a new policing service and that clauses in the new fair employment legislation also affected criminal compensation claims, funding and finance, travel and fostering/adoption.''

Stone added, ``POWs would never have been in prison except for the abnormal political situation.''