To: Director, U.S. Bureau of Prisons
520 First Street, NW
Washington, D.C., 20001, USA
From: Mairead Corrigan Maguire
I am writing from Belfast, Northern Ireland to appeal to you to
reverse the recent decision canceling all visitation rights for
the internationally known, nonviolent peacemaker, Philip Berrigan,
age 74, who is currently being held in the Petersburg, Virginia
Federal Correctional Institution. I am appalled at this decision.
Firstly, let me say, that Philip Berrigan is being punished for
something that he did not do, but for something that I did. This
is unjust.
As I understand it, on March 10th, the Regional Supervisor of
Virginia Prisons issued an order that Philip Berrigan is not to
receive any further visits for one year. The Regional Supervisor
is punishing Philip Berrigan not because of something Philip Berrigan
did, but because of something I did. Three weeks earlier, on Monday,
February 16th, 1998, while I was in the United States, I visited
Phil Berrigan in the Petersburg prison. It was the first time
I had met him, and I came to offer him my support in his work
for peace.
At the time, the United States was threatening to bomb the people
of Iraq, and so, in an effort to protest U.S. war preparations
and ongoing U.S. nuclear weapons policy, I staged a peaceful protest
in the Petersburg prison by refusing to leave--after my visit
with Philip Berrigan had already concluded. My peaceful protest
was an act of solidarity with this great man and his work for
peace.
My action was solely my decision. I acted alone. This was not
an action that Philip Berrigan suggested or talked me into. Why
then punish Philip Berrigan for something that I did?
I was held overnight in the Richmond city jail and brought before
a judge the next afternoon. To my surprise, the prosecutor recommended
that all charges against me be dropped and the judge immediately
released me.
Philip Berrigan should not be punished for something that I did,
especially when the local judge and prosecutor decided that my
action was not worthy of punishment. I was willing to take any
punishment for my protest against United States war preparations,
but none was given to me by the judge. It is illogical, unjust,
and unfair then that Philip Berrigan should be punished for an
action that I had taken, that he did not urge or take, that I
was willing to be punished for, and that the courts decided was
not worthy of punishment. Philip Berrigan's wife, children and
friends should also not be punished for the next year because
of my action. I am horrified by the Regional Supervisor's decision
to cancel all visiting rights to Philip Berrigan for one year.
To me, this is draconian punishment.
Secondly, let me say that I am appalled that the United States,
which prides itself and presents itself to the world as the model
of democracy, should so unjustly remove such a basic right as
all visitations to a prisoner--and in this case, to such a noble,
nonviolent person as Philip Berrigan. This treatment of Philip
Berrigan, which is really cruel and barbaric, is not acceptable
behavior from any democratic country. Philip Berrigan stands in
the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. He
is one of the century's great voices for peace. I urge you to
reverse this decision, and restore his right to regular visitations.
For my part, I will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of
Philip Berrigan's right to have regular visitations. Thank you
very much for your immediate attention to this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
(Co-founder, Peace People, Northern Ireland;
1976 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate) March 14, 1998