July 1981

Families back inquiry into 1981 events
Derry Journal, 30 June 2009

Sir,

We, the families of hunger-strikers, Patsy O’Hara and Michael Devine, support the call by former hunger-striker, Gerard Hodkins, for an independent republican inquiry into the 1981 hunger-strike.

We cannot understand why any republican would have anything to fear from such an inquiry, or why they would not support it.

The Gulladuff meeting between the Sinn Fein leadership and eight of the hunger strikers’ families was very emotional, and we were not unaffected.

However, at that meeting, the Sinn Fein delegation refused our request for an independent inquiry. Why?

We call on Gerry Adams, Danny Morrison, Bik McFarlane, and Richard O’Rawe to publicly support our call for an independent inquiry.

We call on each of these principals to submit themselves to a judicial process, which would include not only witness evidence but cross-examination.

Only then, and not before, will any of the hunger-striker families get to the truth about what happened to our loved ones.

Yours,

Louise and Michael Og Devine,
Peggy and Tony O Hara.

Sourced from the Derry Journal

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