Relatives for Justice, a nonprofit established in 1991 by relatives of people killed in the conflict, is an Irish based human rights NGO providing holistic support services to the bereaved and injured of the conflict. On February 6, they released a statement following a High Court ruling that the British military was unjustified in their use of lethal force when they killed Kevin Barry O’Donnell, 21, Sean O’Farrell, 23, Peter Clancy, 19, and Daniel Vincent, 20 – were shot and killed on 16 February 1992 at St Patrick’s Church in Clonoe, Co Tyrone.
Their statement reads in full: “Next week marks the 33rd anniversary of the shooting dead of the four young men in Clonoe County Tyrone. Since that date the British state has covered up the ambush and murders.
“These men were deliberately killed, the rule of law was disregarded, and the British state lied. The families have always known that and have suffered 33 years of vilification as they have sought the simple remedy of law. They fought for a human rights compliant inquest while the state vehemently resisted that. They have seen family members pass away during this time, never seeing the truth established.
“Today Justice Humphries delivered a damning judgment which found that the killings were not justified, unreasonable and unnecessary. In an emotional two hours, these extraordinary families were finally vindicated.
“The British state wrote in their own communiques in 1992 that they viewed these extra-judicial executions as “excellent”.
“Today that lie has been rewritten in a Belfast Court. The killings were not justified. They never were.
“The British state planned and executed these men, including shooting them dead while they fled or lay incapacitated. There was no intent to arrest. The intent was always to kill.
“As Marian Vincent, sister of Patrick, said, “Dignity is Restored” to the families. This is exactly why the Legacy Act was introduced. Why the question of human rights compliant inquests remains resisted by the state. The British state wants to get away with murder. This is a lengthy finding with far-reaching consequences, which the families will take their time to consider with their legal teams and RFJ. Today these four families will sit with the overwhelming enormity of what they have accomplished, and the painful reality of facing another anniversary of men whose killings were never justified.”
