Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan has backed a call from the Ballymurphy massacre families for the Irish government to support the full implementation of the Stormont House legacy mechanisms.

Speaking after Minister Simon Coveney met with the families in Belfast today, Pat Sheehan said:

“Today, relatives of those killed by the British Army in Ballymurphy in 1971 met with Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney in Belfast.

“In May of this year, the families and their 50 year-long campaign for the truth was vindicated and the facts laid bare before the world.

“Despite the arrogance of successive British governments, the strength and resilience of the Ballymurphy families shone through as they refused to be side-lined or silenced.

“The families made it clear to Simon Coveney today that full implementation of the legacy mechanisms in the Stormont House Agreement in a human rights compliant manner is the way forward to achieve truth and justice.

“The British government has tried to block and frustrate progress on that agreement and as a result have compounded the deep hurt already felt by families.

“Sinn Féin supports the families’ call on the Irish government to challenge the Tory government’s amnesty plan and attempt to put British soldiers who killed Irish citizens above the law.”