‘PM must support Loughinisland prosecutions’ – Ritchie
SDLP MP for South Down Margaret Ritchie has called on the Prime Minister to make clear her support for the families of the Loughinisland Massacre victims by ensuring that prosecutions are pursued, an apology from the government to the victims is forthcoming and that compensation is provided in respect of lost lives.
Speaking after her question to the Prime Minister at PMQs, Ritchie said, “Today I held a debate on the Police Ombudsman’s Report into the Loughinisland Massacre, in which a UVF murder gang shot dead six Catholic men in a nakedly sectarian attack and seriously wounded five others in Height’s Bar in my constituency of South Down.
“Nobody has ever been held to account, charged or convicted for these murders,” she continued. “The Police Ombudsman’s Report found collusion between the RUC and those responsible for the murders to be a ‘significant feature’ of this attack and, tragically, found that, had those who imported the arms been pursued, the murders of the six men in the Loughinisland Massacre and up to seventy other murders in Northern Ireland could have been averted.
“The Loughinisland Massacre took place under a period of Direct Rule and, as such, must be addressed at the highest level of the government. Following my debate, I called on the Prime Minister to detail exactly what she will do in respect of the Police Ombudsman’s Report.
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“I welcome the Prime Minister’s acknowledgement of the horror of this crime and her reiteration that her government accepts the Ombudsman’s Report.
Ritchie added, “Now she must ensure that full support is provided for the PSNI to pursue the prosecutions of those responsible for this heinous act, that an apology from her Government to the victims is forthcoming and that compensation is provided in respect of lost lives.”
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Posted by Newry Times News
on Sep 7 2016. Filed under Politics.
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