Press Releases & Updates 1998

Elected representatives, activists and concerned supporters continue to seek explanation and redress for the pain and humiliation suffered by the TP2000 women prisoners at Cornton Vale Womens Prison on the 19th September, following their modest protest against the rolling out of Britain’s latest Trident nuclear weapons submarine, HMS Vengeance.

In replies to enquirers the Scottish Prison Service is maintaining its stance that staff action in response to the protest of the prisoners was to prevent the involvement of the other prisoners in a disturbance. This line is still peddled in spite of the fact that staff were aware on the previous evening that a quiet protest was planned and that there was no intention to involve other prisoners. This was in fact acknowledged by Assistant Governor McKerchar who said to Helen John:" It’s a good thing for you that you did not try to involve others, because that could have led to a riot."

TP2000 has written to William Wilson, Chief Constable of Central Scotland Police, raising the question of the quality of the police investigation of the prisoners’ complaints about the treatment they received. Since the staff version of events has clearly contradicted that of the women, it is surprising that the women were not interviewed again. Helen John said: " Although I gave them (the police officers) a pretty full account of what happened it was obvious that they were being very selective about what they noted down."

The second phase of the TP2000 campaign, the week-long disarmament action camp at Coulport from the 10th to 17th November, is likely to lead to the imprisonment of other activists. For their sake, as for other prisoners, the issue of prison ethos needs to be addressed. Meanwhile Welsh MEP David Morris is tabling a resolution to the European Parliament, challenging the treatment of the women on humanitarian grounds.

Copies of full statements by Angie Zelter and Hanna Jarvinen available.

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