het – Slugger O'Toole

After the Stormont House Agreement, will the latest initiative to bring state actors to account become the one that succeeds?

Brian Walker on February 18, 2015, 4:26 pm

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The UK government stands accused of continuing to cover up state misbehaviour in a humdinger of a Report just published by the legal experts of the Committee on the Administration of Justice. The report is the supporting analysis for renewed pressure on the authorities who have pledged to set up “ new mechanisms” in the form of an Historic Investigations Unit under the Stormont House Agreement. The CAJ report adopts a sharper tone and levels more direct criticism at the government …

The PSNI Historic Enquiries Team is dead; Long live the Legacy Investigations Branch

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on December 4, 2014, 5:56 pm

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There was a clue in the Chief Constable’s speech this morning to the Dignity and Rights conference. Addressing the NI Policing Board this afternoon, George Hamilton outlined how he planned to address his responsibilities for reviewing legacy cases. LEGACY REVIEWS AND INVESTIGATIONS In my October Report, I outlined the effective closure of HET as a result of the end of our temporary workers contract. As Chief Constable, I have a number of statutory responsibilities regarding the past. These include the …

#ShinnersList: PSNI either screwed up, or deliberately closed a case that should have been left open…

Mick Fealty on March 27, 2014, 6:49 pm

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This is a very powerful set of testimonies put together by Relatives For Justice. Powerful because along with the words you can palpably feel the suffering inflicted by their, mostly, direct experiences of the Troubles. It came out around the same time as the BBC Spotlight programme which highlighted a very real problem with the Downey case. Note the haste with which a Northern Ireland case in which Mr Downey had been wanted for questioning before the resumption of the …

Is Villiers’ warning to OTRs the cue to launch a whole new search for fresh evidence?

Brian Walker on March 7, 2014, 6:08 pm

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Theresa Villiers has delivered her solemn warning to recipients that their comfort letters are not get out of jail cards. They will not protect you from arrest or from prosecution and if the police can gather sufficient evidence, you will be subject to all the due processes of law, just like anybody else. The letters do not amount to any immunity, exemption or amnesty something that could only ever be granted by legislation passed by Parliament. They were statements of …

Chief Constable Matt Baggott to retire later this year & not extend his contract

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on January 22, 2014, 12:31 pm

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Chief Constable Matt Baggott has announced that he will retire and not seek an extension to his contract. UTV quote from his email to PSNI colleagues: I wanted to let you know that I have notified the Policing Board this morning of my intention to retire from the PSNI later this year. As such I will not be seeking an extension to my contract which ends in September 2014. I felt it important that you should hear about this first …

#Lethal Allies: this is not collusion.

John Ó Néill on November 1, 2013, 4:18 pm

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This is much worse. The publication of Ann Cadwalladers Lethal Allies last month by Mercier Press was always going to have a relatively predictable reception. In many ways, nationalists and republicans have largely accepted that there was participation by members of the security forces in providing intelligence, weapons and targeting information to loyalist/unionist paramilitary groups from the late-1960s onwards. In some cases, it was even clear that either officially or unofficially, security force members and agents being run by the security services directly …

The Glenanne story proves the time for frank admissions is overdue: further prevarication over collusion implies Briitsh government cover-up

Brian Walker on October 24, 2013, 11:40 am

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Like most of the atrocities of the Troubles the story of the Glenanne gang isn’t unfamiliar Suzanne Breen for one gave a detailed account of the 1976 Kingmills and Reavey brothers massacres in January 2011 based it would seem on “ imminent” HET reports. Of the Reavey murders she stated as a matter of established fact: The attack was carried out by the UVF’s infamous Glenanne gang, which operated in a murder triangle between south Armagh and mid-Ulster. Made up of …

Memo to Richard Haass: Greater openness in dealing with the past is long overdue

Brian Walker on August 12, 2013, 5:50 pm

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This call for a swift cross border public inquiry into the Omagh bombing by the British ambassador to Dublin at the time carries weight. But enough to succeed? “Material which the families presented to the British and Irish governments over a year ago, so far without response, suggests failings in MI5, the Garda and the FBI.” Fifteen years ago, Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern made clear no stone would be left unturned in the search for the perpetrators. This hollow promise …

Is ‘Mutual Aid’ an explicit criticism of PSNI political policing?

John Ó Néill on July 15, 2013, 2:31 pm

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Chris has pretty much nailed most of the 2013 #Twelfth (so far) apart from one issue which has generally passed almost without comment. A couple of days before the Twelfth, the PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott announced that 630 extra police officers would be deployed for the 2013 marching season. These officers would be drafted in from England, Scotland and Wales. The BelTel on 10th July reported: Speaking last night, Mr Baggott said the operational move was made as this year …

“the #HET did not act legally in examining state killings”

John Ó Néill on July 3, 2013, 3:25 pm

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Inconsistencies and shortcomings in policies, systems and practices threaten the legitimacy of the Historical Enquiries Team’s work, and risk undermining the confidence of the families of those who died during ‘the troubles’ in its effectiveness and impartiality. So says the Inspector of Constabulary about the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) in a report issued today. Originally requested by the Chief Constable, the report looked at the work of the HET in cases with state involvement to see if it meets the requirements …

Ní Chuilín stops (unexplained) HET blocking move on release of inquest documents to relatives

Mick Fealty on May 24, 2013, 11:18 am

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It’s hard to disagree with Brian when he says there is no real serious attempt to deal with the past. On the Republican side, the understanding is that that is not possible until everything is dealt with. But in the meantime some families have been trying to use the mechanisms of the state to try and get closer to the truth of what happened to their loved ones. As John noted here on Slugger, the re-opening of an inquest into …

“The department of justice said discussions about the precise source of funding for the HET are continuing…”

Pete Baker on March 21, 2013, 8:45 pm

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The issue of funding the ongoing work of the Historical Enquiries Team, as well as its perceived independence, may be about to become a matter of political disagreement… As the BBC NI home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports Hundreds of families have co-operated with the team on the basis that it was acting independently. Many families of people killed during the Troubles, including relatives of some RUC officers, did not want former police officers from Northern Ireland involved in the review …

Matt Baggot on the accusation of uneven treatment of witnesses by the HET…

Mick Fealty on April 6, 2012, 1:05 pm

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Interesting little nugget from UTV last night on the accusation that the HET has been treating security forces differently from citizens witnesses, in which Matt Baggot reports that he has ordered an inspection of HET’s procedures, he also wryly notes: I’m very mindful that the Historical Inquiries Team did meet with the researcher back in February again with explanations, but they don’t feature in her report at this stage… The report by Dr Patricia Lundy is just the latest in …

… to prosecute cases if the evidence emerges …

John Ó Néill on February 5, 2012, 9:56 am

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The Detail has an interesting piece to set alongside the DPP’s comments regarding confronting the past. It concerns the RUC and HET investigations into the killings such as the attack on Sean Grahams on the Ormeau Road which involved a Browning that was handed to the UFF/UDA by the RUC. The Detail outlines how: In 2010 the families were informed by the Historic Enquiries Team (HET) that police had “disposed of” interview notes of two loyalists who’d been caught in possession of the …

Boston College: A glimpse of the archive…

Pete Baker on January 24, 2012, 4:55 pm

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Let’s keep the dialogue ‘hinged’ this time. With Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre aiming to try to head the US Government off at the pass, the legal battle over each ruling along the way continues in the PSNI/HET’s attempt to access some of the material in the Boston College Belfast Project archive. In the meantime, however, Boston-based lawyer, Ted Folkman has been following the legal arguments. And he’ll be live-blogging today’s hearing [7pm GMT – Added link]. He’s already noted …

Boston College: an end of history

John Ó Néill on January 13, 2012, 1:19 pm

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Slugger readers will be familiar with the ongoing saga around the content of, and, access to the archives of the Belfast Project which were deposited with Boston College (where Irish government documents on decomissioning have also been deposited). The outworking of the litigation by which the PSNI’s Historical Enquiries Team are attempting to gain access to some of the material may now even lead to the intentional destruction of the archive by it’s creators. So, methodologically, the Belfast Project is now close …

Miami Showband: “Disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour”

Mick Fealty on December 16, 2011, 11:02 am

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Henry McDonald reports (John has more detail here) on the conclusion of the privately released HET report (they are all intended for the families) subsequently released via the Pat Finucane Centre into the killing of the Miami Showband on 31st July 1975. He notes: The Het team said the murders raised “disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour”. It said the review “has found no means to assuage or rebut these concerns and that is a deeply troubling matter”. Update: …

To the objective, impartial observer, disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour are raised

John Ó Néill on December 14, 2011, 7:38 pm

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The families of the Miami Show Band members gave their reaction to the HET’s report today on the killing of three members in 1975. In a detailed statement, the survivors of the attack report that the HET concluded: ‘To the objective, impartial observer, disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour are raised. The HET review has found no means to assuage or rebut these concerns and that is a deeply troubling matter.’ This is in specific reference to evidence relating …

European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent

John Ó Néill on December 2, 2011, 11:56 pm

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Last week, as flagged by Pete, it was being reported that: The Historical Enquiries Team cannot investigate them because European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent. As the HET is accountable to the chief constable, it cannot investigate killings by police officers. A whole week later, it appears that the Historical Enquiries Team do actually report on cases where police officers were involved in killings (see Turgon’s thread on Loughgall, where the RUC’s HMSU took part as …

Loughgall terrorists could not have been arrested

Turgon on December 2, 2011, 9:45 pm

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The Belfast Telegraph and BBC are reporting the results of the HET enquiry into the Loughgall ambush in 1987 where eight members of the IRA’s est Tyrone brigade and an innocent passer-by were killed. For those who do not remember the incident the IRA gang attacked the small RUC station in the village of Loughgall; this attack being part of a pattern of attacking small rural RUC stations (previously Ballygawley and the Birches had been attacked). The terrorists arrived in …