Human rights campaign organisation, Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW), is warning that an investigation into the 1978 La Mon atrocity could be halted by the Government’s Legacy Bill.
UHRW’s Advocacy Service has written to the Prime Minister seeking an assurance that the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI) will be able to continue with its investigation into the PIRA attack that killed twelve people and injured twenty-three others.
UHRW Advocacy Service Manager, Axel Schmidt, “This is a straightforward matter for relatives and survivors of La Mon: can the Ombudsman’s Office proceed with the investigation it started in 2022 and expects to have completed in April next year?
“The sole major obstacle that could jeopardise the completion of this investigation is the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, which may come into force in the near future.
“For this reason, taking into account the seriousness of this case and the length of time the victims have been waiting for this investigation to be carried out, I have asked that the Prime Minister urgently intervene so as to ensure that this investigation can be continued by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland until its conclusion.
We request a clear answer from the Prime Minister: ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Survivors and relatives will take great comfort if the answer is ‘yes’. If, on the other hand, they are told ‘no’, then those who are left with the traumatic injuries of that awful night will be denied access to the truth and feel left behind, abandoned and betrayed by their Government.
“It would be a shocking disregard of their suffering and resilience over many years if they were to fail to get this all-important assurance from the Prime Minister.”