Hunger strike documents released

The papers were eventually released under the Freedom of Information Act by the Northern Ireland Office, after the Sentinel launched an appeal and asked for a review into the original decision to continue keeping them secret.

The release of 32 previously unseen documents represents a major victory for the Sentinel. In February of this year, following a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office about the length of time being taken by the NIO to make a decision, the ICO issued a decision notice compelling the NIO to either release papers or give a reason for not doing so.

The original request was made in May 2009.

After the decision notice was issued, the NIO then released a number of documents, saying that all of those had previously been released. But it withheld many others giving a number of reasons, including the potential to cause damage to international relations, and because "the discussions between the NIO and those to whom your request refers clearly show the formulation of the Government's policy in handling the hunger strikes".

This prompted the request for an internal review of the decision, and after considering the Sentinel's arguments, the review panel has now decided that 32 of the documents being kept secret should be released to the newspaper.

The documents involve a number of communications with various bodies, including the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace, the Vatican and Catholic church leaders in Ireland and England.

They highlight the differences between the Thatcher Government's publicly stated position and its secret efforts to find a way out of the hunger strike crisis.

The documents show that Margaret Thatcher decided that the point had been reached when the risk of the ongoing communications and offers made to the IRA becoming public was too great, fearing that once this happened the proposals would have to be implemented even if the IRA rejected them and kept the hunger strike going.

Also among the newly released papers are details of a bid to clarify issues with hunger strikers including Kevin Lynch from Dungiven, after a phone call from a priest, less than a fortnight before the INLA man's death.

But efforts to clarify the Government's latest position failed when the hunger strikers insisted on hardline Provo leader in the Maze, Bik MacFarlane being present during the meeting. According to the documents, this demand was rejected because MacFarlane was seen as intransigent.

Many other documents are still being kept secret so the newly released ones cannot provide a full picture. But they do provide a fascinating insight into the way the Government's approach changed as the crisis developed; they also show that the Government believed the Provisional IRA leadership and not the prisoners were taking the decisions.