Ten shot dead in Northern Ireland's Ballymurphy massacre entirely innocent, coroner finds
Ahmed Kaballo
Press TV, London
The legacy of the past in Northern Ireland still haunts the present, particularly as the victims of the violence are still searching for the truth. For the families of those killed in the Ballymurphy massacre in 1971, their fight first and foremost was to set the record straight and after 50 long years, their wait was finally over.
As a coroner inquest ruled that the 10 civilians including a mother of eight and a Catholic priest - killed across three days were 'entirely innocent. The inquest found that at least nine of the 10 killed were shot by British Army and the force used was disproportionate considering the paratroopers were firing from protected positions from a long-distance away.
The coroner's court heard almost 100 days of evidence from more than 150 witnesses to conclude what the families of the deceased have known for 50 years. That their loved ones were entirely innocent and should not have been shot dead that day.
But why have they had to wait so long for this verdict? While the families have been vindicated the fight to bring the perpetrators to justice is still not over according to Padraig O'Muirigh a human rights lawyer who represents them. The families feel their loved ones were killed twice first by British soldiers and then their characters assassinated by the British State.
Inside and outside the court the families cheered the fact that after a long and hard-fought battle the truth had been acknowledged and the names of their lost ones exonerated but the cheers were bittersweet because not everyone lived long enough to see this day.
Nationwide day of mourning held in Austria for victims of genocide in Gaza
Paris hosts ‘end famine’ rally in support of Gaza
UK education activists focus on decolonization
Israel and its arms suppliers ‘must be stopped,’ UN says
Putin orders emergency planes to Iran after blast at port of Bandar Abbas
Pezeshkian visists Bandar Abbas to monitor response operations after port blast
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Betar US: America's new face of Zionist terrorism and the darker rebirth of Kahanism
‘More serious than before’: Iran-US talks enter critical phase amid hope and caution
Pezeshkian’s visit to Baku heralds new order in South Caucasus
VIDEO | Eight killed, six injured after car rams into crowd at Vancouver Filipino festival
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
