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Chronology Jan 2000 - June 2000

  
May 76 - Dec 87 ] Jan 88 - Oct 99 ] [ Jan 00 - Jun 00 ] July 00 - ]
  

31 January 2000 - The Private Secretary at the office of the Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. John O'Donoghue, TD, wrote to the Ludlow family's solicitor:

"The Minister believes that including the case of the late Mr. Ludlow as part of the remit of Mr. Justice Hamilton would be the most appropriate way to address the concerns which have been expressed about this case. Accordingly, he has asked me to tell you that he is minded to recommend to his colleagues in Government that the case be included in the remit of Mr. Justice Hamilton.

"In the circumstances he would be grateful if you would ascertain and let him know what the attitude of Mr. Ludlow's relatives would be to this approach. As Mr. Justice Hamilton will be commencing his work very shortly it would be very much appreciated if you could respond to the Minister's proposal within the next week."

Note: Mr. Justice Liam Hamilton, outgoing Chief Justice, just recently retired, was invited by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in a statement of 19th December 1999, to "undertake a thorough examination of all aspects of the Dublin, Monaghan and Dundalk bombings and their sequel . . ." (See page on the Hamilton Inquiry.), but significantly there was no mention of the Seamus Ludlow murder on that occasion. So, what had changed since then?

Significantly, the Private Secretary to the Minister for Justice remained silent in the above letter on the important issue of the  releasing of the Garda Report. (See further correspondence of 25 February 2000.)

10 February 2000 - The English local newspaper The Post, in Staffordshire, reported the recent conviction and sentencing of Samuel Black-Carroll to a term of 2 years and eight months of imprisonment. The defendant, charged with assaulting a man with the butt end of a snooker cue, was one of four Loyalists arrested by the RUC in February 1998, for questioning about the murder of Seamus Ludlow.

The Post reported as follows:

Semtex jibe led to violence.

A Rugeley man, once suspected of being a terrorist was jailed for two years and eight months by a court on Monday for attacking a man he claimed called him "Semtex Sam."

Samuel Black-Carroll inflicted "wicked" head injuries to Ivan Shirley when he attacked him with a weapon thought to be the butt end of a snooker cue, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Assistant Recorder, John Aucott, told 47 year old Black-Carroll he accepted he had been subjected to verbal abuse. "But there was no justification in allowing it to boil over into violence," he added.

"You exhibited all the hallmarks of a terrorist - an occupation you profess to despise."

Black-Carroll who was arrested in 1998 by the RUC had been convicted by a jury at Stafford Crown Court of wounding. The Irishman of Redbrook Lane, Brereton, Rugeley, had also been convicted at the end of his trial on two charges of criminal damage.

Mr. Peter Carr, defending, said Black-Carroll had been the target of all sorts of remarks and, on this occasion, it was "a comment too far."

18 February 2000 - The Ludlow family was kindly invited to send a representative as an observer to a conference to be  hosted in a Lisnaskea hotel by Firinne (formerly VOICE), an organisation representing the victims of State violence in County Fermanagh, on 26th February.

Firinne was set up just over a year previously "after it became apparent that victims of State violence were not given equal status with other victims of the troubles".

Firinne's two main aims are:

"firstly, to gain recognition from the State that these events occurred and secondly, to document peoples' experiences to help with the healing process and to provide a true account of events surrounding the conflict for future generations.

"Firinne represents families of victims either directly murdered by State forces, or where collusion is suspected. Victims of intimidation, harassment, arrests, death threats and displaced people are also represented."

25 February 2000 - Further to the above correspondence (31 January) from the Department of Justice, Dublin, the Ludlow family's solicitor in reply brought up once again the particular issue of receiving a copy of the Gardai's Investigation Report. The reply noted the Irish Government's views expressed in relation to the case of the late Pat Finucane and pointed out that there were striking similarities as to issues that arise in that case and in the case of Seamus Ludlow. On behalf of the Ludlow family the solicitor emphasised the view that the case for a public inquiry is both compelling and unanswerable.

26 February 2000 - Kevin Ludlow represented the Ludlow family at the Firinne conference at Lisnaskea. The Ludlow family was delighted to receive an invitation and it wishes Firinne well in all its endeavours in the months ahead.

29 February 2000 - This new site went online for the first time, though it was still under construction.

6 March 2000 - The Ludlow family's solicitor reported back on a recent meeting he attended at the Department of Justice about another matter entirely, when he raised the issue of a Seamus Ludlow inquiry. He reported that the Department of justice "obviously felt that we would be agreeing to the matter going into a Hamilton type pre-public enquiry Commission of Enquiry.

"I indicated that the view of the family was strongly to the effect that the public enquiry and nothing less was called for. I said that the first step towards advancing the matter would of course be to make available to us the internal Garda investigation file."

7 March 2000 - Here is the Doras Review of Sites' review for the Ludlow family's first site. Although Doras, using its own criteria, awards only two shamrocks out of a possible five it does have kind things to say about the site which was constructed without  professional help. The Ludlow family appreciates the trouble that the people at Doras have taken in reviewing our site:

The Seamus Ludlow Truth and Justice Campaign

 

This website covers the murder of Seamus Ludlow, a 47 year old man who was murdered near Dundalk in 1976. The homepage contains an in-depth analysis of Ludlow's murder and its consequences. There are links to press reports from 1976 to 1999. The site includes new information about the murder as well as an independent report produced in 1998 by the human rights body, British Irish Rights Watch.
This is a well laid out and thought provoking website.

8 March 2000 - Messages promoting the Ludlow family's first website were posted on the following bulletin boards in the United States: The Toledo Irish-American Club; and Irish American Net. Messages have been posted to several other Irish groups and newspapers in the United States, Britain, and Australia.

8 March 2000 - A message of support was received from Cathleen O'Brien of the Friends of Irish Freedom organisation, New York. The kind message included the following important remark:

 "I do not recall reading about Seamus in the papers over here. But that does not surprise me. There is often a "blackout" on news from Ireland, especially if there has been some sort of cover-up!" 

Cathleen has remained in contact with the Ludlow family. Her support is appreciated.

13 March 2000 - In a letter to the Ludlow family, Mr. Adam Ingram JP MP, Minister of State, at the Northern Ireland Office, London, replied to previous correspondence 24 October 1999 with Mr. Tony Benn MP.

The Minister wrote:

"I am advised that information relating to the murder of your uncle was passed by the RUC to the Garda in 1979. The Garda requested the assistance of the RUC in 1997 which resulted in the four arrests. All four were released without charge.

"As you know the DPP after careful consideration of the police investigation file concluded there was insufficient evidence to obtain a conviction against anyone named in the file and they therefore directed no prosecution on the case. If any new evidence comes to light or you have further information about the murder the police would be keen to pursue it.

"With regard to your suggestions of a cover-up there is no evidence to suggest that this occurred or continues to take place.

"Let me assure you that the police will do all they can to bring to justice those responsible for this terrible crime."

This was probably the first written confirmation from the British authorities that information on the killing of Seamus Ludlow was passed from the RUC to the Gardai in 1979. Given that the RUC and the Gardai had important information back in 1979 it seems strange to say the least that the Ludlow family would be invited to do the RUC's job for them. 

As for the suggestion that there has been no cover-up, and that none continues, there is nothing here to support that view. Indeed, by the Minister's own admission the RUC and the Gardai had "information relating to the murder" in 1979. 

That admission coupled with the authorities' failure to bring such information to the attention of the Ludlow family and the fact that neither force did anything to pursue it for nearly twenty years, provides compelling evidence of a past cover-up. The continuing failure of both the RUC and the Gardai to give the Ludlow family access to their investigation files and the authorities' refusal to grant a public inquiry can only support strong suspicions of the cover-up continuing.

28 March 2000 - The Pat Finucane Centre (pfc) in Derry kindly published the following review for this new Ludlow family website in their mailing list newsletter:

The family of murdered Dundalk forestry worker, Seamus Ludlow, have created an excellent website which we would urge all subscribers to visit and bookmark. Seamus was kidnapped and murdered in 1976 by a gang of men from the loyalist Red Hand Commandoes. At least one gang member was also a member of the locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment, a regiment of the British Army. There are well founded suspicions that the names and activities of this death squad were known to authorities on both sides of the border who chose not to take action because of the security force connections of the gang. One suspected member of the group was recently convicted and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison in Rugeley, Staffordshire, England, for assaulting a man who called him 'semtex sam'. The Ludlow family are pressing for an inquiry into the murder. Extensive information on the case also available at pfc website www.serve.com/pfc

This new website was also published in the Pat Finucane Centre's own  website and almost immediately its guestbook  began attracting messages of support from people in Ireland, the United States and Britain.

The Ludlow family appreciates all of the excellent support that their good friends at the Pat Finucane Centre have given to their campaign for truth and justice. The Pat Finucane Centre also gives excellent support to a large number of families engaged in the same fight for justice against state-sponsored murder and injustice - and at this time they are particularly active in supporting the families of the innocent  Bloody Sunday victims, for whom the British Saville Inquiry began public sessions at Derry's Guildhall on Monday 27th. March.

2 April 2000 - The northern edition of the Sunday World newspaper (on page 21) published an article headlined:

  "Semtex Sam" Snookered He's sentenced to two years jail after battering Englishman with a cue.

The half-page report featured a photograph of the English resident defendent who was one of the suspects arrested by the RUC in February 1998 for questioning about his alleged role in the 1976 murder of Seamus Ludlow.

3 April  2000 - Issue 65 of Louth Online, the excellent website featuring many items of particular interest to the people of County Louth added a link to the Ludlow family's first site in its Community Links directory page. The site's homepage featured the following brief  article and an accompanying photograph of the late Seamus Ludlow:

Irishman Seamus Ludlow was a Catholic bachelor. Aged 47 and a forestry worker from Thistlecross, Mountpleasant, Dundalk, County Louth, just south of the border, he was abducted and murdered on his way home from a Dundalk pub, in County Louth, by pro-British Loyalist UDR/Red Hand Commando gunmen on 2 May 1976. He was abducted after he left a Dundalk public house on the Saturday night. It is believed that Seamus had unwittingly accepted a lift offered by his killers, who did not know him. He may have been murdered simply because he was a Catholic, or because he was mistaken for another intended victim. Twenty-five years after his death his killers have not yet been brought to justice. Many fear a joint North-South coverup is in effect. Pressure is increasing, however, for the government to review the murder investigation. For more information visit the Seamus Ludlow Truth and Justice Website

3 April 2000 - Linda Porra, of Irish Organisations United, in Massachusetts, in the United States, a new supporter of the Ludlow family's struggle for truth and justice, reports that she has written some eighteen letters on behalf of the Ludlow family's campaign. Linda has kindly placed a message on this site's guest book and she has placed a link to the Ludlow family's first site on her own website.

4 April 2000 - Linda Porra further reports that she has written an editorial on the Seamus Ludlow case. This editorial will be submitted to many newspapers around Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. A link to Linda's site can be found on this site's Links page.

7 April 2000 - Jim J. Kane, of Scranton, Pennsylvania, also an activist from Irish Organisations United, reports that he and Linda Porra have sent letters to President Bill Clinton; United States Attorney General Janet Reno; Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; United States Secretary of State Madeline Albright; and to Senator Ted Kennedy in support of the Ludlow family's demands for truth and justice. Jim has also placed a message on this site's guest book. His efforts are deeply appreciated.

19 April 2000 - This new version of the Ludlow family's second  site goes online for the first time. Web specialist Karl Winn and thirtytwo.net kindly registered the new domain name "seamusludlow.com" and donated web space on their server for the Ludlow family free of charge. Karl has continued to provide expert advice and encouragement on a regular basis. His assistance is deeply appreciated. The Pat Finucane Centre in Derry has agreed to be named as the address for correspondence.

 24 April 2000 - The Belfast daily newspaper The Irish News, reported that the Dublin government:

 "last night signalled its intention to push (British premier) Tony Blair for an independent public inquiry into the murder of Catholic man Robert Hamill.

"Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is now expected to demand a new investigation in the run-up to the third anniversary of Mr. Hamill's death on May 8.

"The father-of-three was attacked by a loyalist mob in Portadown as he walked home after a night out with friends on April 27 1997. He lost his battle against severe injuries 11 days later.

"Mr. Hamill's family last night welcomed the significant development in their quest to find the truth behind allegations that RUC officers on the scene failed to intervene to protect the 25-year-old."

According to the Irish News, a spokesman for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs commented: "The government is giving the most serious consideration to calling for a public inquiry."

If this report proves to be well founded, then it is to be applauded that Dublin should call for a public inquiry into the sectarian mob murder of Robert Hamill under the very noses of the RUC in Portadown. Many questions remain regarding the murder of Robert Hamill and many many other Catholics in the Six Counties, and these questions certainly justify demands for public inquiries in the Six County jurisdiction.

Equally justified also, are calls made repeatedly by the Ludlow family in County Louth for public inquiries into the murder of Seamus Ludlow in May 1976. Given the Dublin authorities' failure to respond to this family's demands regarding a sectarian murder and cover-up in their own jurisdiction, it is to be feared that the British authorities will be less inclined to take Dublin's concerns seriously.

25 April 2000 - It is reported that Mr. John Bruton, TD,  leader of Fine Gael, the main opposition party in Dublin has added his support to calls for a public inquiry into the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill in Portadown. Again, this stance  is highly commendable, but it should be stated that Mr. Bruton wrote the following brief, and rather blunt, letter to a member of the Ludlow family on 2 September 1998:

"Thank you for your recent letter which I have read carefully.

"In view of your statement that the Garda investigation into this case is still continuing, I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to comment on this matter."

The leader of Fine Gael sent no expression of regret to the Ludlow family regarding their sad loss, nor did he acknowledge that the innocent victim was a dedicated member of his own party. The late Seamus Ludlow was a faithful member of the Fine Gael party in County Louth. 

Mr. Bruton today leads the political party which led the coalition government that was in power in 1976. Fine Gael held power on occasions since then, throughout the period of the Garda cover-up, as also has Fianna Fail, the present party in government.

 Mr. Bruton has added nothing at all to that brief statement of 2 September 1998. Thus the present day leader of Seamus Ludlow's party has nothing at all to say about this murder. The Ludlow family has yet to hear his call for a public inquiry into the murder of his own fellow Fine Gael member.

2 May 2000 - In a letter to a member of the Ludlow family, Seamus Kirk, TD for County Louth, reported: 

"Further to ongoing contact regarding the Seamus Ludlow enquiry I have been in contact with the Office of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, about the matter. They expect a date for commencement shortly."

10 May 2000 - In a letter to Mr. John O'Donoghue, TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dublin, the Ludlow family's solicitor referred to previous correspondence from the solicitor of 11th April, 7th March, 25th February, 3rd February, and 1st February, "none of which have received a substantive reply." The solicitor continued:

"Our clients were surprised to learn through a letter from Seamus Kirk TD, their constituency representative that in the view of the Department the commencement date for an Inquiry into the Seamus Ludlow case is imminent. We were not aware of any such development and would be obliged if you would indicate the nature of the Inquiry that is to be announced. You will recall that it was suggested in your letter of the 31st January that this Inquiry might be suitable for the form of private Inquiry presently being conducted by the former Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Liam Hamilton. Our clients do not share that view but were prepared to reconsider the position in the light of a disclosure of the relevant Garda investigation file in the matter. That has not been disclosed and our clients position remains that a full public Inquiry is required in this case. You might note accordingly that our clients will not be participating in a private Inquiry as same is clearly inappropriate and that the one obstacle to a public Inquiry identified in the Victims Commissioner Report no longer applies.

"We would be grateful if you would let us have a reply to this letter, in comprehensive terms, as soon as possible."

23 May 2000 -  The following parliamentary question was asked about Seamus Ludlow by Mr. Quinn TD in Leinster House, Dublin. It is followed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's reply:

Mr Quinn: . . . I understand representations have been made to the Government to have the terms of reference of Mr. Justice Hamilton's inquiry altered to include the killing of Mr. Seamus Ludlow. Is the Government giving consideration to that request? Will the matter be included in the terms of reference?

The Taoiseach: Mr. Justice Hamilton is putting in enormous work and time on the inquiry. My view is that the strategy jointly adopted on this matter will prove to be extremely useful, although it may not solve everything.

I met the relatives of Mr. Seamus Ludlow some time ago. Deputies will be aware I previously stated that the Government had accepted the Victims Commission's recommendation in the Seamus Ludlow case, but that consultations were to take place. The relatives have strong views and they are not yet satisfied that this is the best way to proceed. However, I remain strongly of the view that an examination of the case by the former Chief Justice is the best way forward and I continue to try to urge them in that regard.

As Deputy Quinn is aware, there are difficulties in the Seamus Ludlow case, including cross-jurisdictional issues. An added complication is that identifiable individuals were accused publicly in the case and the DPP in Northern Ireland, having considered evidence available there, decided not to prefer charges. This will make a public examination of the case difficult here. However, my view remains that an examination by the Chief Justice is the best way to proceed.

In this answer Mr. Ahern once again states that he has met the Ludlow family - when in fact no meeting has ever been granted with the family. 

Rather ominously, Mr. Ahern appears to be setting the scene for some future disappointment for the Ludlow family. He seems quite unable to present a hopeful opinion about the outcome of any inquiry into Seamus Ludlow's murder. Instead, he appears to present several possible arguments for no further progress. Further information about the Dundalk families' campaign can be accessed from the Ludlow family's Links page.

10 June 2000 - The local Dundalk Democrat newspaper reported that the victims of the 19 December 1975 bombing at Kay's Tavern public house, in Dundalk, have adopted a "wait and see" approach to the private Hamilton Inquiry. James McGuill, the solicitor for Maura McKeever and the Watters family, who both lost their fathers in that no-warning Loyalist bomb attack, spoke to the Democrat's  Anne Campbell about the current enquiry:

"At the minute we have adopted a wait and see approach to the enquiry which was announced by the department of Justice at the end of last year", said Mr. McGuill. "We would like to see a full, open, public enquiry into the murder of these two men", stated Maura.

"At present there is a private enquiry into the Dublin/Monaghan Bombings, but it is not clear how deep the report, which is due for publication around November of this year, will go into the facts and the responsibility for the bombing.

"We are definitely not ruling out going into this enquiry, but would like to see what happens with this one first", said Mr. McGuill.

Maura McKeever is determined as ever to bring the perpetrators of her father's murder to justice. "We have waited a very long time just to get this far", she said. "It's not over yet. We just keep going until there is justice".

But James McGuill, Maura McKeever and the Watters family are not sitting back and waiting for things to happen. They are pushing the progress themselves. At present, they are speaking to people who were at the scene and near the town when the bomb went off on 19 December. They want to speak to anyone who was injured in the explosion, or saw anything, no matter how small, in the days and hours running up to the bombing. . . 

The Ludlow family wishes Maura McKeever and the Watters family full success in their search for truth and justice for the murder of their loved ones just six months before the murder of Seamus Ludlow. Both cases point to serious questions arising from the ease at which the Loyalist murder gangs could move freely through Dundalk at a time of intense Loyalist violence in the North and equally intense Gardai activity along the southern side of border. The inability, or unwillingness, of the Gardai to apprehend any of these Loyalist/British Army murderers, either at that time or during the quarter century that has now passed since then, must be examined at any public inquiry into the murder of Seamus Ludlow and the Dundalk bombing just six months before. 

14 June 2000 - Reported by the Belfast Irish News was a statement released the previous day by Justice for the Forgotten, the group representing most of the relatives of victims, deceased and survivors of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974. The statement, backed by the Ludlow family's Jimmy Sharkey and Kevin Ludlow, and representatives of other families affected by the murderous bombing of Dundalk in 1975, was in response to recent statements from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in which he supported pleas for public inquiries in the North, while he remained set against equally deserving demands in his own jurisdiction. The Irish News quoted the following from the statement:

"As victims of unsolved murders in this state related to the Northern Ireland conflict, we welcomed the taoiseach's recent call for an independent inquiry into the murder of Portadown man, Robert Hamill.

"We also welcome his support for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry and his call for inquiries into the murders of human rights lawyers, Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson," the statement read.

"However, their calls for public inquiries into atrocities committed outside this jurisdiction ring rather hollow when compared with their continued reluctance to hold public inquiries in this jurisdiction into the murder of our loved ones who died in equally tragic and controversial circumstances."

(For further information on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974, please go to the Ludlow family's Links page. See also links to information on the Dundalk bombing of 1975.)

14 June 2000 - Publication of the widely respected human rights organisation Amnesty International's (AI) Annual Report 2000. The full report can be accessed online.

This very detailed AI Report of global human rights issues refers briefly to Irish and UK issues including several cases of collusion between the British authorities and Loyalist murder gangs. The Ludlow family is delighted to see that Amnesty International has kept a close watch on developments in the Seamus Ludlow case and that AI's representatives have expressed strong support for the family's demands for a public inquiry.

 Many issues were discussed at a meeting  in June between the Irish Minister for Justice, Mr. John O'Donoghue, TD, and Amnesty International (AI) representatives. According to AI's Annual Report 2000, the issues raised at this meeting included:

asylum legislation; emergency legislation; procedures to examine complaints against the police; inquests; and inquiries into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings and the case of Seamus Ludlow. . .


The Amnesty International Annual Report 2000 continues:

Inquiries into alleged collusion
The government appointed the retiring Chief Justice, Liam Hamilton, to carry out a private, but independent, judicial inquiry into the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974, which killed 33 people and injured hundreds. Members of the Northern Ireland security forces' intelligence units allegedly colluded with the Ulster Volunteer Force, a Loyalist armed group, in the bombings. The inquiry would also examine the police investigation of the bombings, and the bombing of a pub in Dundalk in 1975. By the end of 1999, it was still not decided whether the inquiry would also examine the killing of Seamus Ludlow in 1976, and the alleged subsequent cover-up by both British and Irish authorities. Seamus Ludlow was killed in Ireland, reportedly by a Northern Irish Loyalist group, which included two soldiers.
The government stated that the inquiry's results would be published, and that a subsequent public inquiry remained possible. AI had called for public inquiries into these incidents.

Amnesty International also highlighted the murders of human rights lawyers Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.

20 June 2000 - Mr. John Bruton TD, Leader of Fine Gael, replied to an e-mail message sent to him by Jim J. Kane, Scranton, Pennsylvania.


Dear Jim,
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the Seamus Ludlow case - you will note from the Oireachtas website (www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas/frame.htm) that  I have had exchanges with the Taoiseach regarding this case on 8th December 1999 and on 29th September 1999.

Fine Gael supports independent private investigation into the Seamus Ludlow case as recommended by Mr. John Wilson to the Government.

John Bruton T.D.,
Leader of Fine Gael.

Nothing here is encouraging to the Ludlow family. Mr. Bruton fails once again to support the Ludlow family's call for a public inquiry. To make such a call would at least be consistent with his recent demand for a public inquiry north of the border in the Robert Hamill case.

24 June 2000 - Interviewed by Anne-Marie Eaton for the Dundalk Democrat, Jimmy Sharkey said that the Ludlow family welcomed the Taoiseach taking a stance and calling for a public inquiry into the death of Robert Hamill during a RTE Morning Ireland radio broadcast earlier this month.

However, he said, "We have never met with the Taoiseach to discuss Seamus' murder". It was pointed out briefly that Jimmy had a very short meeting with the Taoiseach "but as yet family representatives have only met with Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, John O'Donoghue, which Jimmy states was not satisfactory".

"The Ludlow family, through their solicitor, have once again requested a meeting with the  Taoiseach and are awaiting a reply."

The Dundalk Democrat also reported on the soon to-be-published Unfinished Business, a book written by University of Ulster academic Bill Rolston.

"Author Bill Rolston has written a full chapter on the killing including interviews with Michael Donegan and Jimmy Sharkey, in his forthcoming book "Unfinished Business: State Killings and the Quest for Truth".

"The book focuses on family member telling their stories of how they dealt with loved ones death and their experiences over the years in demanding justice. It also demonstrates how, because of necessity, ordinary people have become champions of human rights."

I Top I

26 June 2000 - The Belfast daily Irish News newspaper featured across two pages an excerpt of the soon-to-be-published book Unfinished Business: State Killings and the Quest for Truth, by leading academic Bill Rolston. 

This new book focuses on 23 cases of state killings associated with the conflict in the North of Ireland. The stories, including that of Seamus Ludlow, are told mostly by relatives who have campaigned over the killings.

In this Irish News feature Diane Hamill tells the moving story of the sectarian mob murder of her brother Robert, in Portadown, three years ago, in plain sight of the RUC, and of her family's campaign for justice which continues to this day. 

(See links to the Robert Hamill campaign on the Ludlow family's Links page.)

 

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