REPUBLICAN prisoner campaigners have claimed a forced strip has been carried out on a female republican inmate at Hydebank Wood Prison.
Sharon Rafferty, of Cavana Linn in Pomeroy, was forced to remove her clothes before and after making a court appearance in Omagh, Co Tyrone, last month.
Supporters say that after the 38-year-old refused to take off her clothes voluntarily female prison staff forcibly removed them, down to her underwear.
Ms Rafferty is facing charges relating to republican paramilitary activity in Co Tyrone.
Since her arrest in May last year she has been detained on a separated wing at Hydebank Wood Prison on the outskirts of Belfast. it has also emerged that a second republican prisoner, Christine Connor, missed a hospital appointment last month after refusing to be strip searched.
The 27-year-old is facing two counts of attempted murder and possession of pipe bombs in relation to an attack on the PSni in north Belfast in May.
The Irish News understands both women have indicated they will not voluntarily submit to strip searches in future.
Last night Mandy Duffy from the irish Republican Prisoners Welfare association said Ms Rafferty felt like she had been "sexually assaulted" after the search.
"She feels very strongly she should not have to remove any clothing," she said.
The prisoner campaigner says Ms Connor will also continue to resist strip searches.
"Christine feels she is being denied the right to medical treatment which is a basic human right," she said.
"She is on medication and needs to see a specialist."
The last high-profile female republican prisoner to be subjected to strip searches is believed to be Roisin Mcaliskey - daughter of former Mid Ulster MP Bernadette Mcaliskey - who was searched more than 70 times while pregnant in custody awaiting extradition to germany in connection with an iRa mortar attack in 1996. She was released without charge in 1998. in november last year male republican prisoners in Maghaberry Prison ended an 18-month no-wash protest sparked by a number of complaints about the jail regime, including the use of strip searches. a spokesman for the Department of Justice said: "The Prison Service Full Search Policy for women prisoners has developed a two stage full search procedure. a stage one search requires the woman to remove her outer clothing; however she would not be required to remove her underwear. if staff have suspicions or intelligence has been received to suggest that the woman could be concealing items in her underwear she would be required to proceed to a level two search.
"This would require her to remove the clothing from the top half of her body, including her underwear. When dressed she would remove the clothing from the bottom half of her body, including her underwear. While we cannot comment on specific individuals, at no stage has a level two search been deployed in ash House in recent weeks as is being claimed in some quarters."