A Chairde,

Please take one minute and help repatriate Noel Maguire. Though I hope all who can will help, this will be especially useful for those of you who support this campaign but are unable to attend a demonstration on the 30 March. Using this letter as a guide, please sign and email to: info (at) michaelmcdowell.ie or print and send to the address listed below the letter. To email Dermot Ahern, Dept of Foreign Affairs, follow this link: foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8797 or once again, print the form letter and mail to him at the address following the letter.

————————————————————————————

Dear Sir: I write to you asking that you reconsider your decision to refuse Noel Maguire's repatriation request from Full Sutton Prison in England to Portlaoise to be closer to his loved ones. The premise from the Dept of Justice that Noel cannot apply again for Repatriation until January 2008 is not correct.

This is contrary to the legislation agreed in all EU member states - that a prisoner can at any time apply for repatriation to country of origin. The claim that he has no close relatives living in the 26 counties is untrue as Noel's family live a few hours away from Portlaoise. Noel Maguire is from Co Fermanagh and holds a valid 26 County passport, thus more than qualifies for repatriation on the grounds of the European Directive as an Irish Citizen.

We strongly believe that the Irish Ministry of Justice may well be in breach of the Irish Constitution - which states it 'treats all the children of the nation equally.' Clearly in Noel's case this is not at all true. Noel's six co-defendants, all Irish like he is, have already been repatriated to Portlaoise Prison On humanitarian grounds we ask that the decision to refuse repatriation be reconsidered, as a knife attack on Noel last year by 2 inmates who have since been charged with attempted murder is an indication of the seriousness of the situation.

Should he not be repatriated his physical and mental well being are at serious risk. Noel Maguire's mental and physical well being is at risk and he is the true example of why the European Directive was designed to allow prisoners to complete their sentence in the country of their Citizenship

is mise le meas

Your Name here.

Please write to: Dermot Ahern,
Department of Foreign Affairs,
80 St. Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2
Also write to:
Michael McDowell Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
94 St. Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.