BY MARC LICHTMAN
NEW YORK - "International Women's Day: Free Róisín from Holloway," and "Irish woman, English jail -let Róisín out on bail," were some of the chants as 400 people picketed the offices of Lufthansa, the German semi-state airline on March 8. A large demonstration was held in Dublin, Ireland, the same day.

Róisín McAliskey, the 25-year-old daughter of Irish nationalist and human rights activist Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, is being held in Holloway Prison in London, facing extradition proceedings that could force her to stand trial in Germany on frame-up charges of taking part in an Irish Republican Army attack on a British military base there.

McAliskey is 7 months pregnant and has serious health problems. She has been held in isolation, denied proper medical care, and strip-searched daily. Both the British and German governments have argued against releasing her on bail.

Carrying roses, chains, and placards, the demonstrators marched over to the British Consulate, where a rally was held.

The main speaker, Róisín's younger sister Deirdre McAliskey, told the crowd, "This isn't an issue for the Irish community - this is an issue for the human rights community." She announced that under pressure from protests, the British government had just changed her sister's status from Category A high-security risk to normal security risk.

This means that she can associate with other prisoners and will be strip-searched less frequently. She was recently allowed open visits - that is without a partition - with her companion Sean McCotter and her mother. The British government has not yet announced if it will let her keep the baby in prison, or take it away from her.  
 
 
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