Beattie slams Irish approach to Omagh Bomb inquiry - and calls for UK legal action against Dublin
The Irish government has again snubbed families of the Omagh bomb over its refusal to hold a public inquiry into the atrocity – and it is time for the UK to take legal action against the Republic over its approach to legacy, Doug Beattie has said.
Shawneen Conway, whose brother Gareth was among 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, killed in the 1998 republican attack, has launched legal action in an attempt to force Dublin to hold a public inquiry.
The UK is currently holding its own probe, but relatives of those killed and injured by the ‘Real IRA’ don’t believe the full truth will emerge unless the Irish state looks into its role.
Ireland’s justice department has said that it would be inappropriate to comment on legal proceedings, but argued that a memorandum of understanding on co-operation with the UK inquiry was an “important step”.
Mr Beattie, the UUP’s justice spokesperson, said that Ireland had yet again snubbed families’ pleas.
“As Irish ministers line up to criticise the UK government's legacy proposals, call for former PSNI and RUC officers to be removed from the ICRIR, and clutch their pearls, saying Omagh was ‘terrible,’ the reality is they continue to sit on their hands regarding legacy.
“If the Irish government needs reminding, it's this simple: The car used to transport the bomb to Omagh was stolen in Ireland, the explosives were sourced and prepared in Ireland, the timer power unit (TPU) was manufactured in Ireland, the bomb was assembled in Ireland, the operation was planned in Ireland, and the murderers left from Ireland to cross into Northern Ireland, murder 29 innocent people, and escape back into Ireland.
“Yet, the Irish government seems to think it has nothing to do with them.
“The entire legacy piece has been left to languish by the Irish government, with no legacy mechanisms being put in place. The memorandum of understanding lacks teeth, and the ability to challenge any of the state's intelligence apparatus is lacking. It is now time the UK government brought an interstate case against the Irish government to the European Court of Human Rights, highlighting their failure to address legacy”. the Upper Bann MLA said.