The Ancient Order of Hibernians is hosting a webinar broadcast on Saturday, October 12 that will focus on legacy issues and also highlight concerns that the new British Labor government is planning to retain a controversial body established by the previous Conservative government.
Said a release rom the AOH Freedom For All Ireland Committee: "The British Labour Party and new Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to “repeal and replace” the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation)Act which was imposed by the Conservatives despite overwhelming opposition from Irish victims’ relatives, human rights campaigners, the Irish government and all major six county political parties. Now, three months after taking office, there are growing concerns that the new Labour government will keep the Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Retrieval (ICRIR) created by the Tories to replace legacy mechanisms that were bringing justice to victims.
"Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, will join victims’ relative Pola Cairns, civil rights lawyer Padraig O’Muirigh, Irish Parliament representative Peadar Tobin, and justice campaigner Mark Thompson, in a live webinar broadcast, hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians this Saturday, October 12, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, 4 P.M. Irish time.
The release noted that Congressman Fitzpatrick had recently been awarded the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medal by the AOH. This is the highest award that the Hibernians bestow.
Fitzpatrick, the release stated, "has been one of the leading Washington voices on Irish issues and a driving force on a series of bipartisan Congressional initiatives, House Resolutions and Briefings on legacy justice.
"Most recently he co-sponsored a strongly worded letter to new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to fully replace the amnesty legislation and return to the principles of the Stormont House Agreement to give victims’ relatives a real opportunity for justice."
The other panelists, continued the release, will be Pola Cairns whose two brothers Gerard (22) and Rory (18) were gunned down by Mid-Ulster UVF loyalists, near Craigavon on October 30, 1993, following frequent sectarian taunts and harassment by the RUC and the RIR, the former Ulster Defense Regiment.
A BBC documentary revealed that several of those involved in planning and carrying out these murders were RUC special branch and/or British intelligence agents. The Cairns family believe the Legacy Act and ICRIR Commission were created to shut down all routes to truth and justice because of the campaign for an inquiry into the activities of the Mid-Ulster UVF during the 1990’s.
Another panelist, civil rights lawyer Padraig O’Muirigh, has represented families in the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest and many other legacy cases. He will explain the legal implications of recent court rulings about the ICRIR, and how the Commission sidelines family legal representatives who have played a huge role in advancing legacy truth.
Peadar Tobin, Teachta Dála (TD) or representative to the Irish Parliament is the leader of Aontu, and an influential member of the Joint Committee for the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. He will discuss the case filed on behalf of Irish legacy victims by Ireland in the European Court on Human Rights.
Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice will explain why families who have waited decades for truth have no faith in the ICRIR and the importance of American help in the continuing political and legal battle for legacy justice.
The release concluded: "The issue of legacy justice is at a critical point. Throughout the 1969-98 conflict, hundreds of families, particularly in killings committed directly by or in collusion with British crown forces, were systematically denied truth and justice about the murder of their loved ones. The Good Friday Agreement promised victims’ relatives a new beginning and the Stormont House Agreement offered legacy mechanisms which appeared capable of delivering justice.
"Despite delaying tactics and denials, victims’ relatives began to uncover the truth through proceedings such as the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest, or Ombudsman Investigations such as Loughinisland, Operation Greenwich or Operation Achille, or in civil actions.
"The Conservative Party government responded by devising the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act, and creating the ICRIR Commission to replace legitimate independent investigations, mandated by Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and despite the opposition of victims’ relatives, the Irish government and Irish political parties. Will Labour keep its pledge to repeal and replace or will it retain the Commission designed by the Tories to deny justice?"
Joining in the webinar is by way of a registration Link: https://aoh.com/WebinarRegistration, or https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3IIeQjz2S12ETY-GLGxOlg. YouTube Live: https://aoh.com/WhereDoVictimsStand, or https://youtube.com/live/Nt88crW6XgY
