Tag Archives: Mountjoy Prison

This was supposed to be extraordinary Sunday – Did Mrs Governor of Dochas Centre prison forget?

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This was supposed to be extraordinary Sunday. December 9, 2018.
Four inmates of Dochas Centre prison were preparing for a special dinner.
They were supposed to be honored and awarded for leading the courses and classes learning how to prevent violence.
They were supposed to walk with their school teachers through the gate. Through a tiny roundabout. To the Mountjoy Prison. For a  combined Christmas dinner. AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) Christmas Dinner. Christmas dinner for facilitators. Combined with facilitator from the men’s prison. During the dinner, diplomas were supposed to be given.
This was special commendation.
The inmates could also invite someone of family or acquaintances.
A friend of Martha’s sister came to Martha.
A mum of other inmate, specially arrived via train from very far away.
Martha was very excited about this day.
She was specially preparing herself. Of the excitement she didn’t eat anything for the whole day.
Formally, she was to receive a pass.
A pass which guaranteed a walk throuhg a few meters of freedom. Because that’s the length that separates the gate of the women’s prison from men’s prison.
Few meters of sky without bars and meshes. Few steps on freedom… in a straight line…
Seems like not so much…

Everyone’s ready, everyone’s waiting… and…
…(we will not use an ugly word here)…

Irish Prison Service couldn’t let out, or rather pass for a moment, four women from Dochas Centre.
It couldn’t because…
…because Mrs Governor of Dochas Centre prison, Mrs Mary O’Connor… didn’t send an e-mail… to Irish Prison Service… with disposition…
…
We won’t even describe the feelings of four inmates…
The teachers were very angry and disappointed. They tried to do something about it, but they couldn’t do anything…

…Only thing left for Martha and other inmates was to ask for a visit of people who came…
…not without problems… they managed to get… 20 minutes of visit…
…Martha apologized to the sister’s friend for an hour of delay and for all the mess…

Images painted by Martha displayed in the prison – an acknowledgment of Martha’s taleng or a demonstration of ignorance? – please watch

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Two contentious paintings done by Martha, were displayed last week on the wall at Dochas Centre prison in Dublin.

Why contentious?
We were writing about them a lot, (to some people too much), among others on February 3, 2018:
“Martha didn’t give those paintings “for storing” until she will get out of prison. Those paintings left the prison legally and their indisputable owner is Martha’s sister. Those paintings are not the property of the prison.”

This doesn’t stop prison authorities to demonstratively hang them on the wall instead of returning them to the rightful owner.
They are displayed on the wall in the room near the metal detector gate.
It’s the first control room in Dochas Centre.
Near the gate that one walks through, there’s a conveyor with a monitor and a small chamber for X-raying small things: shoes, belts, coats etc.

Is displaying the paintings an expression of appreciation of Martha’s talent?
We agree that Martha, with her personality and talent, definitely stands out in the Dochas Centre.

Or maybe hanging those paintings is a clear demonstration of ignorance of the Dochas Centre prison?
It’s nothing, that a rightful owner – Martha’s sister, requests their return.
GARDA in Ireland can do what it wants.

We don’t know what motives guided the authorities of Dochas Centre prison.
But thanks to that, the paintings can be viewed.
They are in the room that anyone can enter.
So we invite You to see Martha’s creations personally.
You don’t need to visit anyone in Dochas Centre to see the paintings.
All you have to do is to enter between 10-12 a.m. or 2-4 p.m. (exceptTuesday).
You must press the button at the door in front of Mountjoy Prison (near the small  roundabout).
After entering, just tell the person at the duty office, that you wanted to see Martha’s paintings andturn left left.
The paintings are displayed in the room near the gates.

The paintings can be viewed, and the counter of ignorance is ticking…
By today it’s 202 days.
For 202 days now, the paintings made by Martha, are unlawfully held by prison authorities of Dochas Centre in Ireland.

Martha on a meeting with Gary Cunningham in Dochas Centre – an author of a novel “Joys of Joy. Finding myself in an Irish Prison”

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Last week, on Wednesday or Thursday, a meeting with Gary Cunningham was held in Dochas Centre.
Gary Cunningham wrote a book about his imprisonment in Ireland.
He was imprisoned in Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.
He wrote the book while still being incarcerated.

On the general meeting with women imprisoned in Dochas Centre, he talked about how this book was created. Behind the scenes of creating his novel was very interesting.
The meeting took place at the Gym.
It lasted for about an hour.

After the meeting, Gary Cunningham asked Martha to stay.
He devoted several minutes to Martha, giving her personal advice on how to write a book while being imprisoned.
Thank you very much for your interest in Martha and her activity.
Martha writes a book about a tragedy that happened to her.
Part of the book is created now, in prison.
The next part, Martha will finish on freedom.

We have noted a visit to our site helpformartha.org from… Vatican – thank you for your interest in Martha’s case

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On August 2, 2018, we have noted a special visit to our English language site helpformartha.org.
The visit was made from a place marked by the system as: Vatican.
We are very pleased with the visit.
We will not determine further details.
Just the fact of visit from the presented location, gives some hope.
Every interest counts, and we thank vor it very much.

In 2016, Martha’s mother wrote a letter to the Pope.
On December 28, 2016, in the name of His Holiness Francis, a responce was sent for the mother.

In 2018, some time ago, Martha’s mother sent another letter to the Pope.
Do the current visits to our sites from Vatican have any connection to Martha’s Mother’s plea for help?

Pope Francis is supposed to visit Ireland soon.
The visit is planned for August 25 and 26, 2018.
Initially, the visit plan likely included a visit in the prison.
But in the men’s one: Mountjoy Prison.
Both prisons, men’s and wowmen’s are divided by… an asphalt road.
We don’t know the current visit plan for the Pope Francis’ visit in Ireland.
We don’t know if there will be a visit in Mountjoy Prison.
But we will observe the visit of Pope Francis in Ireland closely.

Delivering of part of things to Martha

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On Thursday, Martha’s sister brought her different things she brought from Poland.
What’s unheard of, part of those things was handed to Martha already on Saturday morning!
Of things brought by the sister, the mestrual pads, CDs, DVDs, cosmetics, and towels were not handed to Martha.

Recently, after two weeks Martha was handed things, brought for her by one of her friends: sweeping brush, and a toilet brush.
First, no one wanted to hand them to Martha, claiming that every cell is equipped with such brushes.
But Martha’s cell wasn’t.
Finally they were handed to Martha.
Together with a rosary (we don’t know from who).

Things for which we put the counters on our sites, were still not handend to Martha.
In the counter in which things for prisoners are received, they are starting to have enough of questions asked by Martha’s family and friends, about when will the things brought previously be handed to Martha.
The people there are not guilty of anything. They only take things both for the Dochas Centre women’s prison and Mountjoy Prison men’s prison.
Surprised by not handing things to Martha, one of the officers was bluntly evaluating his colleagues: “F… staff.”

Everyone visiting Martha ask, and will still be asking about the things brought previously.

The counters are still on…
Officers in Dochas Centre go for the record…
(but the record of what?)

Another person is asking about Martha’s work at the library

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On Wednesday a person responsible for the libraries (we don’t have sufficient information to provide the person’s position) in Dochas Centre Prison and in Mountjoy Prison, noticed that for some time already, Martha is not working in the library.
The person asked Mrs Governor Mary O’Connor about it.
Mrs Governor claimed, she knows nothing about it.
Really?
Mrs Governor asked Martha.
Martha said, that she doesn’t know the reasons why she is not working at the library.
One of the officers simply took away the key to the library from her, and she only said Martha doesn’t work there anymore.
This officer rather doesn’t like foreigners.

It’s kind, that another person is noticing lack of Martha in the library, and aks for her.
Until now only the inmates were asking for Martha, and especially the person working with her in the library.
Now a question about Martha was asked from different side.
Martha even describes the person as a owner of the libraries, and a person responsible for the libraries and their supplies. We can not confirm that, but we can say thank you.

We thank you very much!
People who get to know Martha closer, see what a valuable person she is.