The North's Prisons Minister yesterday rejected claims that republican prisoners on a no-wash campaign were forcibly removed and beaten while their cells were steam cleaned.
Ms Jane Kennedy denied the allegations which were made on Tuesday. Up to 10 prisoners belonging to the "Real IRA" and the Continuity IRA began their "dirty protest" at Maghaberry jail in Co Antrim complaining of forced integration with loyalists. They have also complained of overcrowding. Last week, prisoners mounted a roof-top protest following other incidents.
The British government is keen not to be seen to allow the levels of segregation among paramilitary prisoners that were allowed in the former Maze prison.
Prisoners on dirty protest had been smearing excrement on the walls of their cells and these were cleaned on Tuesday, the Northern Ireland Office admits. Some prisoners were removed during the cleaning, but allegations of mistreatment have been denied.
A spokesman for the prisoners told The Irish Times on Tuesday that six prisoners, whom he named, had been assaulted by prison staff as cleaning began. It was further alleged that bedding and personal property were damaged.
Ms Kennedy said yesterday: "This is a tiny minority of prisoners who are disrupting life at the prison, preventing other prisoners from having access to their families, disrupting visits and threatening prison officers as they go about their work.
"It is absolutely unacceptable, and I am confident that everybody in Northern Ireland will stand four-square with the prison officers in carrying out their very difficult job." She said there were no plans to review prison policy.
The prisoners involved say they are determined to maintain their protest and state they will do whatever is necessary to ensure their demands are met. This has prompted fears of hunger strikes along the lines of the protests at the Maze in 1981.