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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has given his assist to the household of murdered GAA official Seán Brown and their marketing campaign for a public inquiry into his killing.
Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris is predicted to determine this week whether or not a public inquiry can be held into the 61-year-old’s loss of life.
Mr Brown was locking the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tone’s GAA membership in Co Derry in Could 1997 when he was kidnapped and murdered by loyalists. Nobody has been convicted for the homicide.
An inquest into his killing started final 12 months, however coroner Mr Justice McKinney final month mentioned it couldn’t proceed as materials was being withheld on nationwide safety grounds. He wrote to Mr Heaton-Harris requesting {that a} public inquiry be held.
Public-interest immunity (PII) hearings, which have been held behind closed doorways, had revealed that as much as 25 folks, a few of whom have been state brokers, had been linked by means of intelligence to the homicide of Mr Brown – the primary time the household’s suspicions of collusion have been formally confirmed.
In a letter responding to correspondence from Northern Eire’s First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, which has been seen by The Irish Occasions, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar mentioned he “famous the additional disturbing details about the horrible circumstances of Sean’s loss of life” that had come to mild throughout the PII course of.
“My ideas are with the household at this tough time,” he mentioned.
Referring to the continued controversy over the UK authorities’s Legacy Act, which is being challenged by the Irish Authorities on the European Court docket of Human Rights, Mr Varadkar mentioned the data revealed throughout Mr Brown’s inquest “underlines the continued worth of, and wish for, human rights compliant processes to handle legacy circumstances in Northern Eire”.
He mentioned Tánaiste Micheál Martin had voiced his assist for the household’s request for a public inquiry within the Dáil final month and he would due to this fact ask him to “comply with up with you on this matter in the end”.
The Brown household mentioned it “welcomed this constructive and constructive intervention by the Taoiseach” in assist of the coroner’s suggestion {that a} public inquiry be convened and appreciated his “recognition of the hurt precipitated to us” by the PII course of.
“We belief that this public endorsement by the 2 most senior positions in Irish Authorities, aligned with the views of the excessive court docket choose Mr Justice Kinney and the chief constable, who after all have learn and regarded the unredacted delicate materials, will empower Mr Heaton-Harris to do the best and correct factor and convene a public inquiry,” the household mentioned.
“We hope and pray that he doesn’t condemn us to an extra protracted spherical of litigation, which is hectic to us as a household and additional deepens our sense of injustice almost about what occurred to our father.”
[ Up to 25 people linked to murder of Derry GAA official Seán Brown, inquest told ]
A spokesperson for KRW Legislation, which represents the Brown household, mentioned it was “clear that the one lawful resolution which may be made by the secretary of state is to convene a public inquiry”. The agency mentioned that if he failed to take action, “we’re in receipt of directions from Mrs Brown to right away search recourse by judicial assessment to problem what we’d contemplate to be an irrational and illegal resolution”.
The Pat Finucane Centre, which represents the Brown household, mentioned “something that additional delays justice … will trigger huge hurt to the household and unprecedented anger in the neighborhood” and would “additional harm PSNI relations with the broader nationalist group”.
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