An IRA victims' group is publishing a controversial dossier outlining the personal histories of the 10 H-block hunger-strikers in order to "challenge the myths" surrounding the men.
Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) said it was important that IRA victims' voices are heard as the 25th anniversary of the hunger-strike approaches next month.
FAIR director, Willie Frazer, told the Sunday Tribune: "A lot of romantic mythology has developed around these terrorists. They are often seen as some sort of war heroes. They were nothing of the kind.
"They were in jail for causing death and destruction all over Northern Ireland. Some of them had the blood of over a dozen men, women and children on their hands.
"It's become acceptable for people who aren't republican, and who claim they're anti-violence, to describe the hunger-strikers as noble. It's conveniently forgotten why these men were put in jail. To support the hunger-strikers now is no different than supporting the Omagh bombers."
FAIR's booklet will include a chapter on each of the seven IRA and three INLA hunger-strikers, detailing the attacks they carried out. Photographs of the prisoners, and of their victims, will also be published.
The booklet will be distributed in Ireland, Britain, the US, Spain and Israel. "It's particularly important that an American audience, which often sentimentalises the hunger-strikers, hears our story and listens to the truth about these men," said Frazer.
Frazer claimed that Francis Hughes from Bellaghy, Co Derry, the second hunger-striker to die, had killed up to 15 people, including a child and a grand-mother.
"Bobby Sands' claim to fame was that he bombed a furniture store in Dunmurry. Wasn't that a big, brave act? How can people celebrate Bobby Sands and then condemn those who would plant bombs in shops across our towns and cities today?" asked Frazer.
He also claimed the hunger-strikers were not as courageous in battle as has been portrayed: "Raymond McCreesh operated in my area, South Armagh. Some might see him as brave but it's easy to look brave when you shoot knowing nobody else ever shoots back.
"Then one night, when the Army returned fire and surrounded them, Raymond and his friends didn't battle to the death like you'd expect brave men to do. They had a chance to be heroes but how did they react? They threw down their weapons and surrendered."
When asked if his opinions were not insensitive to the hunger-strikers' families, Frazer said: "Do the hunger-strikers' families not think what their sons did to my community was disgraceful? None of these families stopped their sons dying so they've no right to get all sensitive now."
