Statement from the John Brady Society Scotland

Tonight at 12 midnight, Republican POWs of Cogus and Cabhair in Maghaberry Gaol will begin a 48 hour hunger strike.
This was not an easy decision as some POWs suffer from health problems and a hunger strike may be dangerous to them.
Since the dirty protest began in Maghaberry most of those participating have had no visits, access to phones or access to mail.
The reason they are taking part in the 48 hour hunger strike is to highlight the current situation that they are facing from the British State.

This month marks one year since the August Agreement was met by POWs and gaol officials.
One year on we see POWs on Dirty Protest, POWs on a no shave protest and now we see POWs on a 48 hour hunger strike.


We call on all Republicans to do all you can to show your support for Irish Republican POWs, Everyone has a part to play and no part is too small.

PRO
John Brady Society Scotland

SUPPORT THE POWS!

johnbradysociety@hotmail.com

Statement from John Brady Society Scotland 20/7/11

Statement from John Brady Society Scotland 20/7/11

Members of the John Brady Society today highlighted the plight of the POW's and in particular that of Brendan Lillis by the unfurling of banners in several busy locations in west/central Scotland.

A banner which said " Oglach John Brady Society Scotland remembers Long-Kesh 81- Maghaberry 10-11" and Tricolour where put up in Dumbarton at a main road facing a British Government Building.
Banners where also unfurled on walkways above Scotland's busiest Motorway the M8 at Easterhouse in Glasgow and at Bathgate in central Scotland demanding the immediate release of Brendan Lillis.

Ends

PRO John Brady Society Scotland

Support the POW's !

Justice for John Brady !

POW Function

Statement from the John Brady Society 26/06/2011

On the 30th of July the John Brady Society will be holding a function in aid of Republican POWs.
Entertainment will be provided by Ciaran Murphy, Pol Macadaim and an RFB

Members of the John Brady Society will be doing a sponsored leg wax to raise money for Republican POWs during the function.

All funds raised will be shared equally amongst all POWs

If you wish to donate to the group or sponsor a member you can do so by using PayPal and donating to this address
JBSocietyScotland@yahoo.com

Every penny counts so we would be grateful of any donation.

PRO
John Brady Society Scotland

johnbradysociety.blogspot.com

SUPPORT THE POWs!
JUSTICE FOR JOHN BRADY

Free Brendan Lillis

The John Brady Society Scotland demand the immediate release of Republican POW Brendan Lillis!

Brendan Lillis was sent to Maghaberry gaol after having his license revoked even though he had already served a sentence for his part in Republican activity. He is suffering from a severe illness called ankylosing spondylitis and is nearing death. Brendan has been given a limited time to live and although this is the case the British state are prepared to watch another Irishman die in one of their gaols. 

Brendans weight has recently dropped below 6 stone and he has been confined to a bed for over 600 days. Along with Brendans friends and family we demand that he is released by the British state on humanitarian grounds, and he receive the medical attention he needs in the correct facilities.



PRO John Brady Society Scotland 

Support the POWs !

John Brady Society statement 21/6/2011

Recently members of the John Brady Society challenged a Sinn Fein MLA on the ongoing situation of the Maghaberry political prisoners.

Upon being questioned regarding the failure to implement the August agreement, the response was that the agreement should be implemented in full. The MLA also promised that his party will do what they can to resolve the situation even if this means sending a delegation into Maghaberry again.

The John Brady Society welcomes this response but will be holding Sinn Fein to account on this promise. The current cases of Marion Price, Harry Fitzsimmons and Brendan Lillis were also mentioned and were greeted with a similar response.

We hope that all these cases will be investigated and a settlement can be reached which is acceptable for the all the POWs.

PRO

John Brady Society

SUPPORT THE POWs!

Statement from the Family and Friends of Maghaberry POWs support group

We the family and the friends of the republican prisoners in Maghaberry gaol reaffirm our total support for the men on protest brought about by the refusal of the gaol admin and NIO to honour the agreement signed by both parties and the independent facilitation group on 12th August 2010.

We understand totally why the prisoners believe they had no choice but to resume the protest that lead to the August agreement.

It became clear to the prisoners from day one of the agreement that the POA and some within the administration and NIO were totally apposed to it.

The POA in particular refused to implement the day to day workings of the agreement.

Backed up by some in the administration and NIO they slowly ground the agreement into the sand.

The prisoners repeatedly tried to work a way out of the logjam with the administration and NIO but felt that due to numerous issues but in particular the failure to end controlled movement and the introduction of forced strip searches that they had no choice but to resume the protest.

The prisoners have made it totally clear that the full implementation of the agreement is the only thing that will bring the protest to an end and we stand 100% behind them and call on everyone to support them in their fight to achieve their demands for basic human rights, dignity and respect.

We reject totally the comments made by David Ford that there is no breaking of the agreement by the jail administration, and call on him to read the report by his own staff that he commissioned after the breakdown of the agreement.

This document which is in his possession could end this protest today and we call on him to act now.

Martin Rafferty
Family and Friends of Maghaberry POWs support group, PRO.

John Brady

John Brady was a lifelong republican. He came from a staunch republican background, his family involvement with the republican movement going back generations. John was born in Glasgow, Scotland and lived there until the age of six. The family then returned to Ireland and moved into the Head of the Town area of Strabane, a Republican stronghold in the town.

             Growing up in the height of the ‘Troubles’ in a republican area meant John witnessed first hand the treatment dealt out by the British forces and the R.U.C. He was harassed, taunted and even assaulted on a daily basis. At the age of 14 John joined Fianna Eirinn the youth wing of the I.R.A. He was dedicated to obtaining a 32 county Ireland. He sold newspapers, collected P.D.F and drew murals on walls. John was at the forefront of any activity to further this cause. He was also a founding member of the ‘Strabane Memorial Flute Band’.

            When John was 17 he was arrested and charged with membership of the I.R.A, he was sentenced to 3 years which he served between Crumlin Road Jail and Hydebank Y.O.C. After his release John reported back to the republican movement. He was 21 when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an R.U.C officer. He served 8 and half years in Long Kesh before he was released under the Good Friday Agreement.

            John, like many republicans and ex P.O.Ws welcomed the G.F.A and was hopeful of its outcome; a better life for all nationalists and republicans. After his release Joined rejoined S.M.F Band and Sinn Fein. It wasn’t long before John became disillusioned with the way the G.F.A was going. He resigned from Sinn Fein as he no longer agreed with their policies and he could see that they were going back on the promises they had made.

            After this John, his family and his friends were constantly harassed and arrested by P.S.N.I because of his continued belief in a united Ireland. He received numerous death threats. John became a leading member of the I.R.W.P.A the prisoners were a cause close to John’s heart as he had experienced their struggle first hand. He organized numerous fundraising events and protests to highlight republican P.O.Ws plight and that of their families.

            Six years after his release John and two female friends were arrested on the border between Donegal and Derry. P.S.N.I found two hand guns in the car they traveling in. After 6 months on remand the charges were dropped against all three of them. Both girls were released but John remained in Maghaberry as his license was revoked. A campaign was set up calling for John’s release and after three years of campaigning it finally looked like John’s it was likely to happen. However, John was then , out of the blue, charged by P.S.N.I. for the attempted murder of a serving member of the R.I.R based on discredited low copy D.N.A. This held back John’s case for release for a further two years , until the charges then too were dropped.

             In the following months John appeared twice before the parole board but was rejected on both occasions. The fact that he was on a Republican wing in the jail was used against him so he moved to a non- segregated wing. John’s family feared for his life as whilst on this wing he was approached by a loyalist prisoner who informed him that he had been provided with all John’s details by security forces in order to pass on to a loyalist organization. John was then moved to a work unit in Crumlin Road Jail where he was allowed home on parole every weekend.

            On October 2^nd 2009, whilst on one of his weekend paroles, John had an altercation with a member of his extended family. John had been attacked and defended himself. He followed all the procedures he was required to follow yet was still arrested by P.S.N.I, who arrived in two armored Land Rovers to make the arrest. He was taken to Strand Road Police Station, even though the norm would have been the local police station in Strabane. He was informed prior to any interview that he was going to be charged with assault, even though the other man involved in the altercation had not as much as been arrested. There were four witnesses that could confirm the fact that John merely acted in self defence yet only one was contacted.

John’s sister and sister-in-law went to the Strand Road Barracks the following morning hoping for a visit with him. They waited 2 and half hours but were told to go home as the custody suite was too busy, yet in the ombudsman’s report the P.S.N.I stated that the only detainees in the custody suite that day were John and one other drunken man. At approximately 3pm John’s sister received a phone call from his solicitor to meet him urgently. They met in a car park as the solicitor was not familiar with the town of Strabane. The solicitor then informed her that after leaving John for half an hour, in ‘great spirits’ he had arrived back at the custody suite to find him hanging. Regardless of the Ombudsman’s report, which only managed to find ‘Health & Safety’ issues, a lot unanswered questions surrounding John’s death remain.