Justice for Osgur Breatnach

In the early morning of the 7 th of April 1976 , Osgur Breatnach signed a false self-accusatory statement admitting guilt for taking part in the Sallins mail train robbery: that document served as key evidence for his subsequent wrongful conviction by the Special Criminal Court . The circumstances that led to his flawed confession were never ascertained: despite the Court of Criminal Appeal exonerating Osgur, it failed to address the causes of the injuries found on Osgur’s body immediately after the Garda interrogation, which medical reports deemed to be consistent with the allegations of torture and police brutality.  Recently, on the 25 th of January 2022 , Sinn Féin politician and Member of the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas) Pa Daly raised the need to carry out an independent, statutory, public enquiry into Osgur’s and similar cases and asked for the Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Micheál Martin’s support. However, the Taoiseach expressed his scepticism and opposition towards th...

Introduction     Osgur Breatnach's painstaking pursuit of justice began 46 years ago, when he was wrongfully accused and convicted of a train robbery he had no part in. After enduring both physical and psychological torture on the part of agents of the State, Breatnach's conviction was overturned due to his confession being made "under oppression". At no point, however, have the circumstances of that oppression been investigated. Amnesty International has called on the Irish government to initiate a formal, unbiased inquiry into its treatment of prisoners, but this call has been refused. While the Irish government has washed its hands of its past wrongdoings, Breatnach and others victimized by the State have been left to pick up the pieces and move forward, burdened with deep trauma and social ramifications, such as difficulty securing employment.       Breatnach deserves a formal, impartial inquiry into his mistreatment and closure for an injustice unanswere...