Document by Fr Denis Faul and Fr Raymond Murray on Physical

TSCH/3: Central registry records Department of the Taoiseach

NATIONAL ARCHIVES

IRELAND

Reference Code: 2003/16/468 Title: Document by Fr Denis Faul and Fr Raymond Murray on physical and psychological torture inflicted on prisoners by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army, and on the case against internment in Northern Ireland. Creation Date(s): October, 1972 Level of description: Item Extent and medium: 2 pages Creator(s): Department of the Taoiseach Access Conditions: Open Copyright: National Archives, Ireland. May only be reproduced with the written permission of the Director of the National Archives.

REPRESSION OF THE CATHOLIC MINORITY IN ' NORTHERN IRELAND. 25 Methods of Brutality by Military and Special Branch RoU.-C. December, 1971. - .February, 1972. THESE ARE THE PRINCIPAL ~ffiTHODS OF TORTURE USED IN HOLLYWOOD AND GIRDWOOD BARRACKS. 1 • PlaCing a man in "search position!1, single finger of each hand to the wall, legs well apart and well back, on the toes, knees bent, for pro- longed periods. . 2. Heavy punching t o the pit of t he stomach to man in "search position". 3. Kicking the legs from under a man in the "sea rch position", so that he falls to the ground, banging his head on the wall, or radiator, or ground. . 4.- Beating with batons on the kidneys and on the private s .while in "sea! ch po sit ion. " ' 5. Kicking betwee'n the legs while in the" search posit ion." This is v€.._. popula r among the R. U. C. off i cers and they often do it for pe·t'iods of half an hour or an hour. 6. Putting a man in "search position" over a very powerful electric fire or radia tor. 7. Stretching a man over benches with tw'o electric fire s underneath and kicking him on the stoma ch. ' 8. Rabbit punching to the back of the neck while in "sB'arch position". 9. Bangin the head against the wall. ., ,. ', ' 10. Beating the head with.a baton in cre scendo fashi0D;. 11 • Slapping the ears "and face with open hand. 12. TW'isting the a rms behind the back and twist ing fingers. 13. Prodding the stomach with straight fingers. 14. Chopping blows to the ribs from behind with simultaneous blows to the stomach. 15. Hand squeezing of the testicles. 16. Insertion of instruments in the anal passage. 17. Kicking on the knee~ and shins. 18. Tossing the prisoner from one officer to another and punchipg him while in the air. 19. Injections. 20~ Electric cattle prod was used. 2L Electric shocks by the use of a ma chine. 22~ Burning with matches and candles . 23~ Deprivation of sleep. 24. Urinating on prisone rs. 25. Psychological tortures: (a) Russian roulette . (b) Firing blanks. (c) Beating men in darkness. (d) Blindfolding. (e) Assa ilants using stocking masks. (f) Wearing s ur gical dress. ( g) Staring at white perforated wall in small cubicle. ( h) Use of amphe tamine drugs. (i) Prisoners are threatened: threats to their families, bribes offered, f~~~e confessions are used. The se tortures of prisoners clearly violate the United . Natio~s Declaration of Human Rights, and their Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, as well a s the European Convent ion of . Human ' -Rights, and the Second Vatican Councj_l Constitut ion of the Church in the Modern World. ANY OF THESE ACTIONS INFLICTED ON A PRISONER IS , A CIVIL ASSAULT, CONSTITUTING ACTUAL ' ·OKGRIEV. OUS BODILY HARM. FATHER DENIS FAUL , DUNGANNON. FATHER RAYMOND MURRA Y , ARMA GH.

REPRESSI ON · OF. . THE CATHOL IC . . MI NOR IT Y IN. NORT HERN IRELA ND . 20 POINTS AGA I NST INTERNMEJrr.. 1. It is immoral and unjust t o t~ k' e ' ~wa y a man ' s basic right t , iberty without a f a ir, just and public trial I,rith pr oper me ans of defence and appeal ava ilabl e . 2 • Imprisonment w'i thout trial unde r the northe rn Ireland Special Powers Act r educe s a man t o the l evel of a slave , \vithout · any l egal ;~rot e c tion. No wa rrant, no char ge , no trial. 3 . He n arre st ed under Spec.i al Powers can di sappear f or days, be brutally treat ed "l,vj.t h i mpunity;-b y t hei.r opp r e ssors, can be mo ved from place to pl ace of detention secretl y. ' 4- . There i s no proper r i ght of appeal a gainst internment. The Brown Tribunal, set up by t he i ni qu itous Stormont Ministry of Ho me Affa irs, .------...... is reg a ~ d ed . by the 'internees ~.s . a judicial f a rce and i -+; imposes an ______oath Wh1Ch 1S an abuse of r el1g1 on and a mockery of God . . 5. The family income ceases when t he breadwinner i s inter ned . No com pensation for the afflicted family is provi ded by the gove rnment al though £5 a w'eek wa s provided a s compensation f or inter nee f s f amilies in Aden when internment "ras imposed t he r e in 1967. . 6. The internees f camp in Long Ke s h is constructed t o break men ' s spirits and de gr ade them. Groups of 80- 90 me n are kept in l eaking tin hut s in cages 70 x 30. No facilitie s f or exercise s, hobbies or libraries. Faciliti e s for vis :ilnrs ar disgr a ceful . ' 7 . He dica l f a cilities at the camp a re wo efully inade quate . Family doc tors are pr evented f r om coming in t o see the ir patients by days of "red tape". 8. Psychiatric treatme nt is essent ial f or men who have been tortured and impr isoned unjustly. Provision f or this is pr a ctically nil. DESPAIR is caused by no dat e f or r elease . 9. Libellous st at ements have been made agai nst the i mprisoned me n and legal aid i s not ava ilable f or t hem t o def end their good name '. 10. Harassment of prisoners by brutal British s oldiers in an or ganised way has been allowed on a nu mbe r of occasi ons, r ecently in the trans f er of prisoners from one cage t o another. 11. One per cent of t he adult Ca t ho l i c ma l e po pul s tion of Northern Ire- . l and, that i s 900 me n, has been imp risoned wi t hout trial. It is cleaJ' t he i ntent ion is not pr ima rily t o "dispose of unwant ed membe rs of the public tl (Brig . Kitson), but to t error i se t he Ca t ho l i c c ommunity into accepting wha teve r pol i tical sol ut ion Stormont wants t o i mpose on them. 12. Thr ee pe r cent (2 ,700) of t he adult Ca thol i c ma l e population have been arre sted under t he Spe c ial Powe rs Act, he l d inc ommuni cado f or 48 hours , inte rrogat ed oft en with brutal i. t y , i nt i mi dation used on them and the ir f amilies : humb l e homes wr ecked by the Ar mY 4 . 13 . The Sp eCial Powers Act, No rthe rn Irel and, means t hat in an ~ r ea with the population of Birmingham Eng l and or pittsburgh , UoSoA ., tyro thirds of the pop ulation has the pe r manent right t o treat brutally anq i m prison without trial the ot her t hir d , t he poo r er and l ess privileged se ction of t he community . I t ha s never been used t o inter n U~i o nists . 14-. The Un i oni st section of t he community ha s used i nt ernment against the Catholic section of t he community six times i n 50 yea rs, in eyery dec ade , in t he 1920 ' s , 30s , )+Os , 50s, 60s, and i n the 1970 ' s . 15. Some men at pr esent in Long Kesh have been i nterned t hr ee or f our time s i n t he ir live s . The ir children saH' r el atively little of them a s they gr ew' up . 16 . A numb er of the i nt ernees h8ve l ost t en and twelve years of ·the ir lives impr.is oned 'without tri al . No adequat e r easons have been, or are gi ven . 17. Attempt s' t o use the i nt er nees as ho stage s i n forcing a political _ I settlement on the Ca t ho lic section ar e f urt her injustice s t o pe r e j ec} ed. Rel ease of the internees s houl d be unconditional, all should be re l eased and gi ve n I Gga l a id t o seek compensA tion f or wTongful ~ rr e sts~ brutality and det ention. I . 19 . The $pe c ial Pow'er s Act mu st be ahol i shed a s a first st ep to}ra r ds commun1ty peace . , 20, The s emi-pe r ma nent suspensi.on of t he Habo us Co r pus Act in Ndrthern Ireland constitut es a ser ious t hrent t o countrie s whj.ch s har e the . traditions of the Common LC:l\" of which Habeus Co r pus is t he f opnd atio n stone . They shoul d speak t o Engl and about it. I SSUED BY FR. DENIS FAUL, DUNGANNON .