Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice Martin Kenny TD has today welcomed the ruling of the UK’s supreme court that the PSNI decision to discontinue an investigation into the torture inflicted on the Hooded Men was unlawful.

Teachta Kenny said:

“These men were tortured. They were subjected to ferocious beatings, sleep deprivation, extreme psychological torment, and were denied food and water for long periods of time. That is the definition of torture.

“This occurred in a background of internment without trial. These men have campaigned for almost 50 years for truth and justice. It is a campaign that I and my colleagues have always supported and will continue to support. 

“These men and their families have now been vindicated. The attempts by some members of the British police forces to cover this up has been proven to be unlawful by the British justice system itself. 

“What I and Sinn Féin want to see now is a fresh investigation into the circumstances and detention of the Hooded Men. 

“Most importantly, there needs to be a full investigation to determine at exactly what level of the British government was the torture of Irish citizens sanctioned. 

“The British state selected these 14 men for what was termed ‘extreme interrogation techniques’.

“These men and their families believe that these techniques were sanctioned by high ranking ministers within the British government. 

“To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous, as there are records, including the Rees memo, which refers to these techniques being approved by the British cabinet at the time. 

“It is clear from this verdict that any new investigation must also be entirely independent of the PSNI and other members of the British policing and security forces.”