The Five Demands

L’Historical Enquieres Team incontrerà familiari delle vittime e sopravvissuti alla strage di Claudy per capire chi di loro vorrà essere coinvolto nella revisione del caso

L’HET rappresenta una boccata di ossigeno per i familiari delle vittime della strage di Claudy avvenuta il 31 Luglio 1972.
In un comunicato l’Historical Enquieres Team ha confermato che contatterà i familiari delle vittime ed i superstiti dell’attentato “per proprorre loro un incontro e chiedere se intendano farsi coinvolgere in una revisione del caso.”
Lo scorso martedì il Police Ombudsman ha rivelato la relazione che ha messo solo formalmente la parola fine all’indagine iniziata nel 2002.
Relazione che non ha chiarito i fatti, ma per contro ha aperto tanti interrogativi sul pseudo-coinvolgimento nell’attentato di Padre James Chesney, che l’indagine avrebbe stabilito essere stato un leader dell’IRA all’epoca dei fatti.
Nel presentare la sua relazione Al Hutchinson aveva sottolineato come le vittime sono state vittime due volte, nel momento in cui la collusione tra polizia, governo e chiesa cattolica hanno impedito il regolare svolgimento delle indagini.
Owen Patterson, Segretario di Stato nordirlandese, pur scusandosi per il comportamento opinabile del governo in quella circostanza, ha respinto le richieste di un’indagine indipendente perchè “tutti gli attori principali sono ormai morti”.
Gordon Millar, che ha perso il padre nell’esplosione di una delle tre auto-bombe esplose quel 31 luglio, accogliendo favorevolmente la mossa dell’Historical Enquieres Team, ha dichiarato: “questo ci da una buona speranza che le persone stiano iniziando ad indagare”.
“Voglio solo risposte e la verità. Questo è tutto ciò che ho sempre voluto, e se si può ottenere allora tanto meglio.”

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• Inquiry into Claudy IRA bombing ‘cover-up’ to be published (telegraph.co.uk)
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HET contacts Claudy families (U TV)
The Historical Enquiries Team is in the process of contacting families of victims and survivors of the 1972 Claudy bombing after a Police Ombudsman report found police, church and state colluded to protect a chief suspect.
Father James Chesney was never questioned by police despite being suspected of involvement in the atrocity.
The investigation into the attack, which killed nine people and injured dozens in the Co Londonderry village, is now under the remit of the HET.
In a statement, the HET said it was contacting families “to offer to meet them and ask if they wish to become involved in a review of the case.”
“The HET has not completed a review and appreciates that the families had been awaiting the findings of the Police Ombudsman’s inquiry, which they received on Tuesday.”
Gordon Millar, who lost his father in the car bombings, has welcomed the move.
“It gives us a bit of hope now,” he said. “After the Police Ombudsman’s report we were just thinking everything was back to square one again.
“But this gives us a good bit of hope that people are now starting to enquire into it.
“All I want is answers and the truth. That’s all I ever wanted and if we can get it then all the better.”
The Ombudsman’s report found that the Claudy victims were “failed” by a “collusive act” between the RUC, the Government and the Church, “compromising” the investigation into the attack.
Secretary of State Owen Paterson, who apologised for the cover-up on behalf of the UK Government, rejected calls for a public inquiry as “all the main players are now dead”.
Fr Chesney was transferred in 1973 to a parish in Co Donegal outside the Northern Ireland jurisdiction, where he died in 1980.
Following the publication of the report, Cardinal Sean Brady denied that the Catholic Church covered up his activities.
No-one has ever been charged in connection with the Claudy murders, which happened hours after British troops stormed republican no-go areas in Derry as part of Operation Motorman