MR BOBBY SANDS, the 27-year-old Republican hunger-strike and Westminster MP, died in the hospital wing of the Maze Prison, Long Kesh, early this morning.
Mr Sands, who had just reached his 66th day without meals, had been in a coma since Sunday.
His family was on his
bedside as he died. He was the first person to die as a result of a hunger strike in Northern Ireland, and the third to do so during the current conflict.
Mr Sands, who was elected MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone last month, had lived longer than many expected. Sean McKenna, for example, was on the verge of death during a 53-day hunger strike late last year.
Mr Sands’ death came after a succession of fruitless attempts to end his hunger strike, which was launched to gain the fulfilment of five demands, including the right not to wear prison garb or perform punitive work.
Mr Humphrey Atkins, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, who was at his desk at Stormont Castle, was among the first to learn of Sands’ death.
The RUC chief constable, Mr Jack Hermon, and the British Army GOC, Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Lawson, were also notified via telephone.
Sands died on a water bed next to a big crucifix given to him by the Pope’s special secretary, Father John Magee.
The Northern Ireland Office stated that Mr Bobby Sands’ body would be taken from the prison hospital later today. A representative stated that the arrangements would be made in accordance with the family’s wishes.
The Northern Ireland Office issued the following statement early today: “Mr Robert Sands, a prisoner at the Maze jail, died tonight at 1.17 a.m. He committed suicide by rejecting food and medical treatment for 66 days.
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