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4 October 2001 Edition

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Back issue: Two critical men come off fast

THE impetus of the hunger Strike, which had steadily been building up once again since the intervention at the beginning of September by relatives of Matt Devlin and Laurence McKeown, took another nose dive last weekend with the reluctant ending of their fasts by two critical Hunger Strikers, Bernard Fox and Liam McCloskey.

There are now six remaining Hunger Strikers, of whom the longest on the fast is 23-year-old Belfast man Pat Sheehan, who this Wednesday completed 52 days without food.

Thirty-year-old Fox ended his fast as it entered its 33rd day, just before 1 am on Friday 25 September, to seek medical attention after he had been told he had no more than four to five days to live.

According to the prison doctor, Bernard was suffering from an obstruction in a tube leading to his kidneys. On 17 September, Bernard had been transferred to the prison hospital after coughing up blood, and two days later he suddenly experienced difficulty in holding down water, vomiting continuously. On Thursday 24 September, Bernard was visited by members of his family, who found that his condition had badly deteriorated and that he had only a few days to live. At this stage, Bernard's family made it clear that they would stand by whatever decision he took.

Later that night, following a meeting - agreed to by the Long Kesh prison authorities, in a further recognition of the prisoners' command structure - between the Hunger Strikers and the blanket men's O/C Brendan McFarlane, Bernard Fox agreed to end his fast and accept medical intervention in order to prevent his premature death through a kidney failure.

The second Hunger Striker to end his fast was 25-year-old INLA Volunteer Liam McCloskey, from Dungiven, who was at that stage the longest-fasting republican on the Hunger Strike.

Liam ended his Hunger Strike last Saturday, 26 September, after 55 days, after he had lost his eyesight and was unable to keep down even the two pints of water he was able to drink each day. He too had been given only days to live.

Foremost of the remaining Hunger Strikers, Pat Sheehan, 52 days without food on Wednesday, is now having trouble with his eyesight and weighs only about seven stone, having lost at least 16 pounds in weight since his Hunger Strike began. On Wednesday, the other five Hunger Strikers had completed the following days on Hunger Strike: 25-year-old Jacie McMullan, Belfast, 45 days; 25-year-old Gerry Carville, Grenncastle, County down, 21 days; 25-year-old John Pickering, Belfast, 24 days; 21-year-old Gerard Hodgkins, Belfast, 17 days; 24-year-old Jim Devine, Strabane, County Tyrone, 10 days.

An Phoblacht, Saturday 3 October 1981




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