Irish Republican News · August 9, 2011

Lillis, nearing death, is removed to hospital

Interned former political prisoner Brendan Lillis has been taken from Maghaberry jail today to an unknown destination after a prison doctor admitted his condition was “critical”.

The decision to remove Brendan came during a visit with his partner, Roisin Lynch, this afternoon. The visit was stopped after ten minutes when he was taken away, according to members of the campaign for his release.

Roisin has not yet been informed of her dying partner’s whereabouts and is understood to be in a distressed state.

An RTE television news crew was filming at Maghaberry when the order to hospitalise Brendan was taken.

Under a British order issued two years ago, Brendan was jailed at Maghaberry to serve out a sentence for IRA activity originally handed down in 1977. As a blanketman he took part in the no-wash protests at Long Kesh jail which preceded the 1981 hunger strike before eventually being released under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Now suffering from a progressive and fatal condition, Brendan remains immobilised by a severe and progressive disease of the skeletal system and weighs just over 70 pounds.

Despite a major international humanitarian campaign for his release to allow him to die at home, he was refused compassionate parole by the Six County ‘Minister for Justice’ David Ford last week.

No details of the transfer have yet been confirmed by the British or Stormont authorities.

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