Derry men refusing food for ninth day

At a vigil in the Bogside on Wednesday night, Seanan Hayden - daughter of one of the Derry prisoners - told dozens of supporters: “Like the other families of those who are on hunger strike, we unreservedly support and stand with them and Dr. Issam Hijjawi. Issam should be moved back to Roe House, with his friends and comrades where he can be humanely cared for.”

As well as condemning the prison “regime”, she hit out at “constitutional nationalism and the Catholic Church”.

“The normally vocal Sinn Féin, SDLP and Catholic Church have been deathly silent on the hunger strike, as have a compliant media. In fact, if it wasn’t for the IRPWA, Saoradh and Éistigí [Saoradh’s youth-wing] among others, you would never know there was a hunger strike in the gaols,” she said.

The Irish Republican Prisoners’ Welfare Association will stage a 24-hour protest outside the Antrim jail tomorrow.

A spokesperson for the NI Prison Service told the ‘Journal’: “The Prison Service has a number of processes in place to mitigate the risk of infecting the wider prisoner population with COVID-19 which includes placing prisoners in isolation for 14 days.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Prison Service has been careful to follow the advice of the Public Health Agency and, since March 2020, over 1,300 men have come through the Isolation unit at Maghaberry before progressing into the main prison population.

“During the 14 days, a person in the isolated area will have access to healthcare, legal representation, showers, and can maintain family contact.

“The Prison Service takes very seriously the safety of staff and all those placed in our care, and is committed to doing everything possible to prevent the spread of Covid19 in our prisons. If the prisoner does not develop Covid symptoms, he will return to Roe House on Tuesday.”

The Prison Service said it was aware of a planned demonstration at Maghaberry Prison this weekend.