Omagh bombing inquiry: Survivors and families seek representation at closed hearings
Omagh bomb
have asked to be represented by a special advocate in closed hearings at the public inquiry.
Omagh bombing inquiry
chairman Lord Turnbull is hearing arguments around various applications during dedicated hearings this week.
Paul Greaney KC, counsel to the inquiry, which is examining whether the 1998 dissident republican bomb attack could have been prevented, said it will hear some sensitive security evidence in closed hearings.
A total of 31 people, including unborn twins, died and hundreds were injured when a car bomb planted by the dissident republican group the Real IRA exploded in the centre of the
Co Tyrone
town on August 15th, 1998.
READ MORE
Speaking during hearings in
Belfast
on Monday, Mr Greaney said the inquiry's legal team recognises that survivors and the bereaved have spent 25 seeking the truth.
He said some may be 'suspicious or even cynical of the UK state's willingness to engage in a way that is straightforward and wholehearted with this inquiry'.
'We acknowledge too, that the idea of evidence being heard in circumstances in which the families and survivors will be excluded is one that they will find difficult to accept, to say the least, and accordingly, we regard it as entirely understandable that some, although not all, have suggested special advocates should be appointed to represent their interests in any closed hearings, and have made applications for that to occur,' he said.
Mr Greaney last month said the inquiry would not begin examining the atrocity itself until next year due to the 'pace of disclosure'.
He said chapter three of the inquiry, which 'will consider the bombing itself', would commence in March of next year.
The inquiry, which opened last year, was ordered by the UK government in the wake of a court judgment to examine whether the atrocity could reasonably have been prevented by British state authorities.
During a four-week sitting in the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh earlier this year, the inquiry heard emotional testimony from bereaved relatives who delivered pen portraits of their loved ones, as well as from the injured and first responders. – PA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Fermanagh shooting victims named locally as GAA club says they ‘will be desperately missed'
The mother and children who died in a shooting in their home in Co Fermanagh on Wednesday have been named locally as Vanessa Whyte and her son and daughter, James and Sarah. Ms Whyte and one of her children were pronounced dead by the emergency services when they arrived at the property on Drummeer Road near Maguiresbridge on Wednesday morning, and the third victim died later in hospital. A fourth individual, an adult male, was also injured and is in a serious condition in hospital. A murder investigation is under way, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said one line of inquiry was a triple murder and attempted suicide. READ MORE Ms Whyte, who was in her 40s and originally from Co Clare, was a vet at the Department of Agriculture. According to Clare FM she was from Barefield, attended secondary school in Coláiste Muire in Ennis and moved to Fermanagh several years ago. An Garda Síochána has been assisting the PSNI in liaising with family members in Clare. The family were members of St Mary's Maguiresbridge GFC and St Patrick's Lisbellaw hurling club, which said 'all three were active and beloved members of our club and will be desperately missed'. Both clubs offered their 'heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of all those impacted by the tragic incident' and said they were 'working with the GAA at county, provincial and national level, to implement the association's critical incident protocols. [ Fermanagh village in shock after woman and two children killed in house Opens in new window ] 'We will also work closely with all appropriate services to ensure that those who require support at this difficult time can access it,' the clubs said. A colleague of Ms Whyte's told the Irish News she loved hurling and 'lived for her children, did her best for them and everything she did was for them'. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, local PSNI commander Robert McGowan said the investigation was at an early stage and 'no arrests will be made at the minute.' He said there was a 'limited domestic history involving the people concerned and that is certainly one line of inquiry detectives will take forward,' but added there had been 'no previous issues, domestic or otherwise,' at that address. Supt McGowan said an emergency phone call was made to police from inside the house on Wednesday morning, and the incident was 'still ongoing' when they arrived at about 7.50am. The police chief said the incident 'just happened prior to police attending so … it [was] a very harrowing scene for all involved'. A number of political representatives expressed their shock at the tragedy and sent their condolences to bereaved relatives and friends. First Minister Michelle O'Neill, said she was 'absolutely heartbroken' but had 'no doubt that the people of Maguiresbridge will come together and support one another through this incredibly difficult time.' Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, said it was 'truly devastating' to hear of 'this terrible and violent event' and her thoughts were with loved ones, family and friends, 'but most of all for the tragedy of the lives cut off so cruelly.' Northern Secretary Hilary Benn expressed his condolences at the 'tragic and deeply distressing' incident and asked people 'not to speculate and to allow the PSNI to continue their investigation.' The North's Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt, and Minister for Justice, Naomi Long, also appealed for privacy for the family and friends of the victims and urged against online speculation. They praised the work of first responders and the emergency services and said those in need of support should reach out to the available services.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Kneecap banned by Hungary ahead of planned festival performance
Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival. They accused the band of using anti-Semitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group , a government spokesperson said on Thursday. Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere in recent months, including at Britain's Glastonbury Festival, where frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – known as Mo Chara – accused Israel of committing war crimes. 'Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification,' government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X. READ MORE Mr Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would 'seriously threaten national security'. In May, Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hizbullah. He denies the offence. Last week, UK police said the group would face no further action following their performance at Glastonbury last month. The trio led Glastonbury crowds in chants of 'f**k Keir Starmer ', in reference to the British prime minister, during their set at the festival. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hizbullah, and that it condemns 'all attacks on civilians, always'. Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11th. 'Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism,' they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX. – Reuters
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Hungary bans Kneecap ahead of Sziget Festival show
Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival, accusing the group of using antisemitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said. Belfast-based Kneecap, who regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, have caused controversy elsewhere in recent months, including at Britain's Glastonbury Festival, where frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - known by the name Mo Chara - accused Israel of committing war crimes. "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács wrote in a post on X. Kovács later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the group for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. The group has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including the Academy Award-winning director László Nemes, also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on 11 August. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or antisemitism," they said in a statement last week.
