One of the few victims’ families to engage with the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information (ICRIR) say they intend remaining with the body despite criticism of the commission by senior judges.
The family of teenage IRA member Seamus Bradley said they still believe the ICRIR provided the best platform for them to get answers about his death. The teenager bled to death after he was shot by British soldiers during Operation Motorman in Derry’s Creggan in July 1972.
However, the Bradley family has called on the Secretary of State Hilary Benn to move quickly to address issues raised in a court challenge to the former British government’s Legacy Act. The controversial act has been opposed by the Irish government, political parties and the main organisations representing victims’ families.
While the Labour government has pledged to repeal the act, Mr Benn announced that the ICRIR would be retained as a means of helping victims’ families discover the truth about their loved ones’ deaths.
In an ongoing legal battle over the act – which is likely to go before the Supreme Court – the Court of Appeal ruled on Friday that the ICRIR is incapable of conducting human rights compliant investigations into Troubles murders.
Senior judges held that the ICRIR cannot ensure effective participation for next of kin.
Government powers to veto the disclosure of sensitive material were also declared unlawful.
Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan said: “We find that this regime offends against the proper aim of the ICRIR expressed in its written submissions that ‘the organisation is made up of personnel that are able to conduct their work free of state interference’.”
Daniel Bradley, a brother of Seamus Bradley, said that despite the court’s conclusions, his family still believed the ICRIR was their best option. The Bradley family is the only family to go public about its engagement with the ICRIR.
“At the end of the day, they (ICRIR) made me a promise when I met them to answer my concerns about the fact that Seamus’s life could have been saved if he’d been taken straight to Altnagelvin hospital after he was shot. I have also always wanted to know what Seamus’s last words were as he bled to death and I believe the ICRIR process will give me those answers,” Mr Bradley said.
However, Mr Bradley said it was important that the points raised by Dame Siobhan be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
“After Friday’s ruling Sir Declan Morgan (former NI Lord Chief Justice who has been appointed head of the ICRIR) said he would welcome any moves by the Secretary of State to deal with the issues raised. I think Hilary Benn and Sir Declan must sit down together and sort this out,” Mr Bradley said.
