Dismay for families of victims as report on Libyan support for IRA unpublished
FAMILIES of IRA victims have been left dismayed after learning the Government may not publish a report which was expected to boost efforts to win compensation for those affected by Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi’s sponsorship of terrorism in Ireland.
Unionist politicians are now seeking an urgent meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to press for the details of the Shawcross report to be released.
Former journalist William Shawcross was appointed as the Foreign Secretary’s special representative on the issue last year and asked to advise on how much compensation should be sought and how best the UK Government can support efforts to obtain redress from the Libyan government.
The United States is among several countries which have already received compensation for victims, having secured $1.5bn in 2008.
But when Lord Empey, former leader of the Ulster Unionists, asked the Foreign Office when the Shawcross report would be published, he was told that “ministers will consider the report in detail in due course, including whether to publish any elements of it”.
The response also said that while the Government was committed to giving the report the necessary attention, its “main effort has been focused on our response to the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Lord Empey said he was “outraged” that other countries had secured compensation but “the UK hasn’t even asked for any and expects victims to pursue private legal action against Libya”.
“The UK needs to get some backbone if we are to succeed here,” he said.
DUP Westminster leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said an urgent meeting with the Foreign Secretary was now required.
“The victims are entitled to know what he has concluded, what recommendations he has made and that action will be taken by the Government on their behalf,” he said.
It was reported last year that the UK Government has collected £17m in tax on £12bn of frozen Libyan assets.
There is now deep alarm at the possibility Mr Shawcross’s recommendations may not see the light of day and that, according to Kenny Donaldson of Innocent Victims United, will cause a deep sense of frustration.
“The truth is that the UK Government has never prioritised the UK victims,” he said.
“This report must be made public. Victims have the right to examine the contents.
“I have spoken to a number of victims impacted and they are appalled by the contempt with which the UK Government is treating them.
“The UK Government must take immediate steps to have the report published and a delivery action plan must now be put in place.”
Earlier this year First Minister Arlene Foster urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to make compensating the victims a priority for his Government.
After a February meeting with Mr Shawcross, the DUP leader told him that victims wanted action from the Government and not sympathy.
IRA atrocities linked to the Libyan supply of Semtex include the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bombing in 1987 and the 1996 London Docklands blast.
Jonathan Ganesh, who was badly injured in the London bomb and now heads the Docklands Victims’ Association, said he was “confused, devastated and heartbroken”.
“Covid-19 is not an excuse for any Government to refuse to publish a completed report that victims of terrorism desperately need to bring closure,” he said.
Ihsan Bashir, whose brother Inam died in the Docklands attack, said he felt the “UK victims of Gaddafi/ira terrorism have been treated like rubbish”.
Colin Parry, whose son Tim (12) was killed in the 1993 Warrington bomb attack, said the fight for compensation has “never been a high priority” for the UK.
He described the Government’s approach as “shameful” and said that many victims have died while waiting for British Governments to “support them by seizing frozen Libyan assets held in UK banks”.
And Suzanne Dodd, whose father Stephen Dodd was a police officer killed in the 1983 Harrods bombing, said the Government “should be ashamed”.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “We are committed to supporting the victims of these horrific attacks.
“The Government is considering the recommendations in the report and will decide on next steps.”