Lettera da un prigioniero

Letter from a prisoner

This year marks the 7th anniversary of the death of volunteer Kevin Murray due to the neglect of the Free State prison service and yet again Republican POWs are suffering under this regime. At this moment Aidan Hulme is lying in a cell in Portlaoise in severe pain due to a motor accident that occurred prior to his incarceration by British forces over six years ago.

Since his return home over a year ago he has still not received the surgical attention he requires in order to relieve his pain and aid his mobility. His hope in returning to Ireland was that his fellow country men would help in his plight, but all he has received is a deaf ear and a daily dose of 23 tablets and a morphine patch.
The more Aidan complains the more the authorities attempt to silence him with more and more medication when all that is required is a simple operation.
Republican prisoners have experienced this before, Kevin Murray made numerous complaints to the medical staff in the prison and was given glasses for ‘bad eyesight’ when in actual fact he had a brain tumour.
Aidan was offered an amputation in England despite the fact that a relatively simple operation would solve his problem. Recently he needed to go to hospital but was forced to wait a day and a half owing to the fact that he is a political prisoner whereas criminals have much better access than republicans.
The state of medical attention is sub standard with delays of days to see a doctor and months to see a dentist. This situation is intolerable and we will not wait for the death of another comrade before we act.

Republican POWs

E3 Wing

(thanks to IRPWA)