Micheál Martin urged to press Keir Starmer on need for full public inquiry into Sean Brown murder

Transcript

00:00In May 1997, Sean Brown, a father of six, was abducted and murdered by the Loyalist

00:08Volunteer Force gang while locking up the gates of Balachie Wulftones GAA club in County

00:15Derry.

00:16Sean's courageous wife, Bridie, and his family have fought for almost 30 years to uncover

00:21the truth about his murder.

00:24Last year, at an inquest hearing, it emerged that more than 25 people had been linked by

00:28intelligence to the murder, including several British state agents.

00:33The British government has refused to hold an independent public inquiry into Sean's

00:38murder, as previously directed by the High Court.

00:42Last week, the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled the British government's refusal to hold a

00:46public inquiry into his murder cannot stand and is unlawful.

00:51Taoiseach, can I ask, will you directly engage with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and

00:57urge him to accept the unequivocal High Court ruling and grant a full public inquiry into

01:04the murder of Sean Brown?

01:05First of all, I will pay tribute to the family of Sean Brown for their advocacy and for pursuing

01:13this case and seek justice and full transparency and truth surrounding it.

01:22Yes, I already have in terms of my engagements with the British government, both as Foreign

01:29Minister and now as Taoiseach sought an inquiry.

01:33The Court of Appeal has ruled, and I think the British government has to respond to that

01:37ruling.

01:38More generally, I would hope that we could get to a conclusion between the British and Irish

01:41government and the legacy question more generally, so that we would have a permanent structure

01:45in place to investigate atrocities committed on all sides, and that we would have full transparent

01:56investigations, and then parallel and separately that there would be information retrieval for

02:02the benefit of families of victims and of loved ones who have lost their lives.

02:07Because it's generational, the level of grief and trauma, and a younger generation are coming

02:14forward representing families and communities who have not got closure in any shape or form.