The justice minister Naomi Long should ensure fair legal aid for those who sue IRA
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’.
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Hide AdIt 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.
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
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