Press Release on behalf of Families of 1981 Hunger Strikes

Great to see the families of the hungerstrikers supporting the Republican POWs in Maghaberry

“On 20th August 1981, Michael Devine died in prison, the last of ten republican prisoners to die in the Hunger Strike.

Today, nearly thirty years later, another republican, Brendan Lillis is dying in Maghaberry Prison because of the same refusal of government authorities to govern with humanity, compassion, respect for human dignity and in compliance with International Human Rights standards and obligations. Brendan is not on hunger strike. He is being denied appropriate medical care he needs to survive.

Marian Price is also in Maghaberry, in solitary confinement in a Male prison despite being granted bail. Other prisoners are routinely humiliated and violated by strip searching. Once again, Human Rights don’t apply to ‘these’ people.

The 1998 Agreement promised a Human Rights framework and Bill of Rights to ensure people here would never again be deemed ineligible for protection of their rights because of their politics or actions.

Confronted with a humanitarian crisis in Maghaberry prison, as families of those who died in prison on the 1981 Hunger Strikes, and as members of the H-Block Campaign who supported them at that time, we call upon the conscience of the people to urgently support:

* Roisin Lynch in her demand for the immediate release of her life partner, Brendan.

* The Price family in their demand for Marian Price to be released on Bail

We further call upon the N. I. Executive and Minister of Justice at Stormont to bring an immediate end to strip-searching in the prisons and the continued tolerance of humiliation and violation of the basic human rights of political prisoners.

ENDS

(Editor note: The statement is fully endorsed on behalf of the Sands, Devine, Hurson, McDonnell and O’Hara families, and supported by Bernadette McAliskey, (formerly National H-Block Committee), Tommy McKearney( 1980 Hunger Strike) & Sean McGlinchey (former political prisoner). Further signatures will be sought