Never-before-seen 1981 hunger strike documents disclosed

A FASCINATING insight into one of the most contentious periods of the Northern Ireland conflict has been revealed by documents obtained by the Sentinel under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).

The IRA hunger strike of 1981 in the Maze prison saw ten republican protestors die and caused mayhem on the streets of the country claiming the lives of civilians, Army, police and prison personnel.

Now after a 15 month tussle with the Northern Ireland Office the Sentinel has obtained 32 never before seen documents in relation to the era.

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The FOI request was made by the Sentinel amid claims that the lives of several hunger strikers were sacrificed to boost the republican movements electoral strategy and that acceptable offer was made to the hunger strikers but they were not informed by the IRA.

The papers now in the possession of the Sentinel reveal that previously accepted versions of the events of 1981 are not all as previously thought.

The papers, kept secret for almost 30 years, show the Government was working on a number of levels with many and varied organisations-not all of which were ever publicly admitted to.

Tomorrows edition of the Londonderry Sentinel will reveal our analysis of some of the documents.

The documents will also be made available on the Sentinel's website later in the week and will also include documents previously released to the paper at an earlier date.