HET Suspends Reviews of Army Murders in Ballymurphy

The Ballymurphy Massacre Committee is in receipt of a letter from the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) announcing that it has suspended its “reviews” of cases involving the British Army due to the damning report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).  This acknowledgement by the State publicly and officially validates what the Ballymurphy families have been saying to each British Secretary of State as far back as Shaun Woodward–that the HET is not independent.  Due to the great work by Dr. Patricia Lundy they are now having to listen and concede.

It is inexcusable in an environment that is claimed to be a democracy, that from August 1971 til the present day, there has never been an investigation into the murder of 11 innocent civilians from our neighborhood.  Successive governments have ignored this atrocity and attempted to divert the cause of justice by offering only a desktop review of the 11 cases through the HET.  With the HMIC condemning the HET policies and practices which their report refers to as “illegal,” the State has no excuse not to conduct a proper investigation.

As the HET letter to the Ballymurphy families indicates, there is now no mechanism through which the British State is dealing with Army murders in Ballymurphy.  In the 40 year absence of any proper investigation, the Ballymurphy families have designed a formula to address this.

The Independent Panel proposal presented to both governments by the Ballymurphy Massacre Committee is based on the Hillsborough Independent Panel which was fully supported by the British government.

We now call for both the Irish and the British governments to respond immediately to the Ballymurphy Independent Panel proposal.

Ballymurphy Massacre Committee