The justice minister Naomi Long should ensure fair legal aid for those who sue IRA

A letter from Tom Nash:
Naomi Long should see that those who take legal action against IRA get as much support as those who sue the stateNaomi Long should see that those who take legal action against IRA get as much support as those who sue the state
Naomi Long should see that those who take legal action against IRA get as much support as those who sue the state

The news that the family of Jean McConville are about to take Sinn Fein to court over the brutal murder of their mother should now motivate the many other victims of PIRA killings to initiate similar civil proceedings.

This is most likely the only way the victims of atrocities like La Mon, Teebane, Darkley and Enniskillen will now get justice. I am not the only person who fears that our wider legal and criminal system is only interested in ‘collusion’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was sad that the McConville family had to crowd fund their legal action, particularly as Gerry Adams was recently given legal aid to sue the state over his internment in the Maze.

Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

The justice minister Naomi Long should ensure that legal aid is disbursed on an equitable basis to those who want to take legal action against PSF/PIRA and those who use ‘lawfare’ to sue the state.

At the moment the vast bulk of legal aid in legacy cases goes to those conducting ‘lawfare’ against the state, not to funding those trying to get justice for the victims of IRA terror. This seems discriminatory to me and I can understand how some people would even fear it is sectarian, so our justice minister should address these concerns.

Tom Nash, Derriaghy

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor