Earlier this week, during a prison visit to HMP Bronzefield, we hand delivered the beautiful artwork her pupils had painted for Fatema Zainab, along with some postcards and letters.
One of the postcards is from her former teacher, who is praying for her release. She recalls fondly “you always use to come and hug me.”
It takes a very special person to leave such an indelible impression on both her teacher and her pupils – two different generations – that they both felt compelled to write to her in prison.
Fatema Zainab doesn’t belong in prison. Her only crime is compassion for humanity and the courage to do something to end the suffering. Her community misses her, needs her.
Free Fatema Zainab.
Free the #Filton10
Delays in receiving mail
We weren’t permitted to give the paintings to Fatema Zainab directly, but had to place them in an internal letterbox for security checks. That’s understandable, but security should not be used as an excuse to disproportionately delay mail reaching detainees, which is something that seems to be happening.
There have been some horrendous delays in prisons passing post to the Filton10. Books ordered directly from the prisons approved bookseller, we tracked delivery of, took the prison 4 days before they passed the first book (an empty writing journal) on to Fatema Zainab, and 16 days before they allowed the other two books to reach her. We wondered why?
Coming directly from Waterstone’s the books shouldn’t require much in the way of security checks, its not as if Waterstone’s is known to douse the pages of their books in spice drugs. The only checks would be for censorship. One of the delayed books was the classic ‘Autobiography of Malcolm X’. An eternally inspirational book which does show how to free yourself from colonial mentality – from the prison of the mind, but it’s hardly a prison escape manual.
Two of the #Filton10 – William Plastow and Ian Sanders in HMP Wormwood Scrubs, have not received any mail for nearly 4 weeks – all withheld from them. Their isolation and treatment is particularly worrying, that a campaign has been launched asking people to raise these concerns by calling the prison governor:
William Plastow and Ian Sanders are both on remand in HMP Wormwood Scrubs as they’re accused of being connected to an action which cost Israel’s largest weapons firm over £1million in damages. They’ve not received ANY outside letters or emails for nearly 4 weeks. William is also in a cell without a working phone. They were both recently separated after the state alleged Ian was going to be moved to HMP Belmarsh.
Both William and Ian, as well as eight others, were unjustly detained in solitary confinement for a week and interrogated repeatedly by counter-terrorism police, before being remanded to prison. By refusing them the right to receive outside post whilst on remand and access to a working phone, the state is manufacturing the isolation of Palestine Action’s political prisoners.
Contact the prison and demand that both William and Ian have access to their post and are placed together in the same cell with a working phone.
Contact details for HMP Wormwood Scrubs (you can ask to speak to the Governor, Amy Frost, or any other member of staff to raise your concerns):
📞 020 8588 3200
📞 0208 588 3216
📧 wormwoodscrubs@hmps.gsi.gov.uk
