THE PSNI chief constable has issued an apology to the Hooded Men over their treatment under interrogation in 1971. It comes a day after the death of one of the men, Joe Clarke (71) from West Belfast.
And it has been further revealed that Mr Clarke received his apology from the PSNI while on his death bed.
The 14 men who became known as the Hooded Men were arrested during internment without trial in 1971 and interrogated by the RUC and the British Army. During interrogation the men were hooded, beaten, deprived of sleep, food and water, forced to stand in the stress position and thrown out of helicopters.
In 1976, the European Commission of Human Rights ruled that the five techniques used on the men amounted to torture.
This ruling was later referred to by the European Court of Human Rights in 1978, which held that the UK had carried out inhuman and degrading treatment, but fell short of defining it as torture.
In 2019, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan, the North's most senior judge, said their treatment "would, if it occurred today, properly be characterised as torture".
On Tuesday morning, the surviving members of the group received an apology from the PSNI at a meeting in Belfast.
During the meeting it was disclosed that an apology had been hand delivered to Mr Clarke on his death bed last Thursday.
APOLOGY: Joe Clarke
Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Saunders, Head of Legacy Investigation and Disclosure Branch said: “The Police Service has written to a number of individuals, including the late Mr Clarke, and the next of kin of deceased individuals of the ‘Hooded Men’.
“In this letter, we have acknowledged the findings of the United Kingdom Supreme Court that, by today’s standards, the treatment of these men at that time would likely be characterised as torture.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland has formally apologised for the actions and omissions of police officers involved in their treatment whilst in police custody in 1971.
“The Police Service recognise the significant step taken today in issuing this apology. It is our view that this was the right thing to do to help give the ‘Hooded Men’ and their families recognition about how they were treated.”
Darragh Mackin, of Phoenix Law who acts for the majority of the Hooded Men and the recently deceased Mr Clarke said: “The Hooded Men have fought a 10 year campaign for justice.
"Since their landmark victory before the Supreme Court in December 2021, we have engaged at the very highest level to try and find a resolution for our clients.
"Today, almost 18 months on, the PSNI have today issued our clients with a formal apology that recognises the torturous treatment to which our clients sustained.
"The publication of this apology comes after weeks of intense negotiation in which drew to a close in the days before Mr Joe Clarke tragically passed away.
"In the last days of his life, Mr Clarke was finally delivered closure in the form of an apology, for which he had long since campaigned. This is a seismic development in a seismic case.
The surviving members of the Hooded Men at the Stormont Hotel in 2014
"Most importantly, in times of debate on how the legacy of the past should be addressed, we can and should forever point to the case of the Hooded Men as the pin up of due process, humanity and resolution coming together under one umbrella.
"This case is an example of why the efforts by the British Government to brush the legacy of the past under the carpet will never, and can never, work.
"Tribute ought to be paid to those at the upper echelons of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and in particular ACC Todd and head of Legacy Branch, Mr Ian Saunders who despite the sensitivities engaged in an extensive negotiation, and against all odds, ensured the delivery of an apology before the passing of Mr Clarke. Today, those efforts must be acknowledged and appreciated in what is truly a landmark development.
"What is notably today is the silence by the British Government. The time is now for the Government and MOD to apologise for their part in these torture techniques. Today proves, nobody is above the law. ”
