European Court rules in favour of
families of collusion victims
29 November, 2007 --
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has made
a judgment in favour of the families of eight men who were
murdered by unionist paramilitaries working in collusion
with the RUC and the British Army’s Ulster defence Regiment
in the South Armagh area in the mid 1970’s.
Sinn Féin Newry/Armagh MP Conor Murphy has welcomed the
ruling which said that the murders of the eight men had not
properly been investigated.
The cases related to the deaths of Colm McCartney, who was
murdered at Altnamackin in August 1975; Trevor Brecknell,
who was murdered at Donnelly’s Bar, Silverbridge in December
1975; John, Brian and Anthony Reavey, murdered at Whitecross
and Joseph, Barry and Declan O’Dowd murdered near Gilford on
the same evening as the Reavey brothers in January 1976 and
the wounding of Michael McGrath in a gun attack at the Rock
Bar, Keady in June 1976.
The cases were taken to Strasbourg following the failure of
the British Government to properly investigate detailed
allegations made by a former member of the RUC, John Weir,
about security force collusion.
In a statement the families’ legal representative, Fearghal
Shiels, of Madden & Finucane, Solicitors, Belfast said on
Tuesday:
“In 1999, the RUC purported to conduct a police
investigation into John Weir’s allegations. The RUC took no
steps to interview John Weir, and irrespective of the cogent
and credible evidence of widespread collusion by members of
UDR and RUC with a loyalist murder gang based in Mid-Ulster,
concluded that his allegations were false.
Today’s findings by the European Court of Human Rights that
the families’ human rights were breached by the UK
Government vindicates the families’ central contention that
there was a total lack of independence, transparency and
accountability on the part of the RUC, in investigating the
activities of this murder gang.”
The families are this week arranging to meet with their
solicitors to discuss the important implications of the
ruling.
Sinn Féin’s Conor Murphy said:
“There is clear evidence of collusion in the murders of
John, Brian and Anthony Reavey and Joseph, Barry and Declan
O`Dowd, Colm McCartney and Trevor Brecknell and the wounding
of Michael McGrath in South Armagh in 1975 and 76.
“This was also supported by former RUC officer John Weir in
1999 who pinpointed the base of operations used by the
Loyalist gang responsible for these murders that was owned
by another RUC officer.
“This unanimous ruling highlights the lack of independence
within the RUC investigation into the allegations of
collusion but there are many other unanswered questions
about the relationship between this Loyalist gang and
members of the RUC and UDR.
“Sinn Féin will continue to support the families bereaved as
a result of the British State sponsored policy of collusion
between the British Army, UDR and RUC and Loyalist
paramilitaries.
“The lid must be lifted on the whole issue of collusion. The
families of all those killed down the years, not just in
South Armagh but all of the victims of British State
collusion deserve the truth about their loved ones.”
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