‘British government must end veto on information for victims and families’ – Fearon

Sinn Féin MLA Megan Fearon has called on the British government to remove its veto on disclosing information to families who lost loved ones in the conflict.

Sinn Fein MLA Megan Fearon

The Executive Office Junior Minister made the call following the Secretary of State’s comments on legacy at the 2016 British Irish Association Conference at Oxford University.

The South Armagh representative, whose office has responsibility for victims, said that a truth and reconciliation process, involving all players in the conflict, was the only way to progress the issue.

“Victims of the conflict and their families have a right to the truth about the past,” she said. “In his speech the British Secretary of State said families were frustrated that the current structures are not working.

“However, it is the British government who are causing the delay by insisting on the continued cover-up of British state murder and collusion through the use of a bogus ‘national security’ veto on disclosure.

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“The British government must honour the commitments from the Stormont House Agreement and offer maximum disclosure to victims and families.

Fearon added, “If the British government was serious about meeting its commitments on legacy then as a first step it should immediately release the funding requested by the Lord Chief Justice for scores of inquests into conflict related killings.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Sep 20 2016. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry