19 December 1999:

JUSTICE FOR THE FORGOTTEN
Welcomes official investigation leading to
full public hearings and public inquiry

Justice for the Forgotten welcomes the establishment of the first official investigation into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the response of Government, An Garda Síochána and the Royal Ulster Constabulary to the bombings, then and since.

We welcome the commitment of the Government, with the support of the Opposition parties, that the report to be carried out by Chief Justice Liam Hamilton will be delivered to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Women’s Rights in public session. We welcome the commitment of the Government that the bereaved families and survivors will be fully represented at the public session, at which the Committee will have available to it full powers for the production of documents and persons to be examined in the context of the report’s findings.

We welcome the commitment given to us by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, TD, to seek the full co-operation of the British Government in helping to establish the full facts and truth concerning the biggest mass murder case of this State.

Justice for the Forgotten regards this process as the first stage in the establishment of a properly constituted public inquiry into all aspects of this case. This is a process of assessment, not a private inquiry, and, on this basis, we have agreed to co-operate.

To this end, Justice for the Forgotten will continue its now formidable campaign to highlight the issues of urgent public concern which require investigation and public accountability. We will engage with the Chief Justice and his team in a full consultative process to ensure that all the concerns of the bereaved families and survivors are addressed and the questions that require answers are investigated to the fullest possible extent possible.

The process of a public inquiry, where justice is not only done but seen to be done, is a minimum requirement for our members in their 25-year search for truth, justice and closure.

Margaret Urwin, Secretary
Greg O'Neill, Solicitor

Issued on 19th December 1999

At 15:00 hours