P.S.N.I./ R.U.C. and prison staff are carrying out extensive searchs of the gaol. This harassment of republicans is being executed under the guise of a planned search.  The lockdown was ordered on Wednesday by the prison's new governor Steve Rodford, who was appointed earlier this year.

Prisoners have been locked in their cells and all domestic and legal visits have been suspended.  It is unclear how long this action will continue but it is the most invasive raid on republican accomodation in the last 10 years. The main focus of the current searches are at Roe House, which houses republican prisoners.

Tensions have risen steadily as some prisoners face being locked up continuously in their cells for 72 hours.  This in effect has meant that republicans in Roe House could potentially be without food for the duration of the lock up.  The prison authorities are well aware of Republican practice of not accepting meals to be eaten in their cells.

In a brief statement the prison authorities confirmed that the "ongoing search at Maghaberry will continue over the weekend".

Maghaberry high security prison has been described as one of the worst visited in 2009 by a team of inspectors.

They have listed 200 ways to make the jail better and called for urgent action and better safety procedures.

Inspectors who made a surprise visit to the jail in January called it one of the UK's worst performing prisons.

The report by Criminal Justice Inspection NI and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons, which was published on Tuesday, said Maghaberry was one of three jails out of 169 inspected which was particularly poor in the area of safety.

It said the jail failed to meet standards in all four of the internationally recognised tests for prisoner welfare.

The report again pointed to poor working practices and tense industrial relations as holding back progress

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