Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has defended his handling of an approach by the family of Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt concerning conditions under which he was being held in Portlaoise prison.
Mr Ahern received correspondence from McKevitt’s wife, Bernadette Sands McKevitt, in 2004 complaining about her husband’s treatment at the time. She said because he was involved in a protest at the jail his visiting rights had been withdrawn and she could not bring her children to see him or could not contact him by phone.
Mr Ahern forwarded to Michael McDowell, who was minister for justice at the time. A spokesman yesterday said Mr Ahern never asked Mr McDowell to follow any course of action in relation to McKevitt’s situation. He said no representations of any kind were ever made.
Speaking at a press conference on crime policy in Dublin today, Mr Ahern said: “There is virtually nobody who has opposed paramilitary violence more than I have. I have a track record second to none and I stand by that.
“As a public representative I have a duty to respond with compassion to any family who approaches me and I do that and I’ve always done it in a way that doesn’t in any way compromise my position and I’ve done that on many occasions.
“It would be a dereliction of duty if I was to ignore families when they come to me indicating that there is perhaps in some way some infringement of someone’s human rights. If I was to ignore it I would be accused of not doing my job”.
McKevitt is still in prison where he is serving a 20-year sentence following his conviction for directing terrorism. He is one of a number of men facing a civil action from the family of those killed in the Real IRA bombing of Omagh in 1998.