The men were tortured here at Shackleton Barracks
ONE of the group known as the ‘Hooded Men’ who were tortured by British soldiers at a Co Derry military base has died.
71-year-old Gerry McGerr passed away at his Lurgan home in north Armagh this morning.
He was one of 14 Catholic men who were arrested and interned by the British Army in August 1971 as part of ‘Operation Demtrius’.
They were hooded and flown by helicopter at Shackleton Barracks in Ballykelly.
The men were detained indefinitely without trial and claim they were subjected to a number of torture methods.
In December last year, the Irish government announced it would ask the European Court of Human Rights to revise its judgment on allegations the UK government sanctioned the use of torture against the men.
Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness tweeted today: “Sad to hear of the death of Gerry McKerr, one of the Hooded Men tortured by British Forces during the introduction of internment in 1971.”
