‘ Truth recovery is vital for all the victims of the Troubles’
Madam Editor, Recently, Martin Magee passed away at the premature age of 43. Martin died of liver failure. His death has been linked to an extremely traumatic experience which he endured. On the 5th of February, 1992, two Unionist paramilitaries entered the small ‘ Sean Graham’s Bookmakers’ shop, on the Ormeau Road, South Belfast, and opened fire indiscriminately with semi- automatic weapons. Of the 13 people present, 12 were shot, of which 5 died, including a 15 year old boy who had just popped into the shop on an errand. Among the dead was Martin’s twin brother Peter aged 18 years. None of the survivors nor those of us who assisted them, will ever forget what we witnessed that day. The smoke and the utter horror has been extremely challenging for all concerned. Any cursory look at the background and subsequent ‘ investigation’ into these murders, will reveal a litany of subterfuge and collusion. For instance, the Browning pistol used, which was allegedly stolen from a UDR barracks, was in the possession of the police before it was handed back to the murder gang prior to the attack. The police alsomaintained to the families, that they had destroyed the second weapon used, an as- sault rifle. In a cruel andmacabre twist, the weapon turned up being prominently displayed at the ‘ Imperial War Museum’, London, for the amusement of tourists! This is just the tip of the collusion Iceberg. To date, no one has been directly brought to justice for these murders. Although the North has been fundamentally transformed in recent years, there has been a real failure in securing truth recovery for ALL the victims and survivors. We will never truly evolve as a society until these legacy issues are dealt with head on. I call on all the political parties in this state to be far more assertive and actively campaign for the es- tablishment of a comprehensive, Independent, International Truth and Reconciliation process. The prevarication and piece meal approach must end. People are still dying today from a range of physical and mental health issues as a direct result of the long conflict in the North. Martin Magee has tragically joined this list of the undocumented victims. Martin’s Month’s Mindmass falls on Sunday the 5th of February, sadly on the 25th anniversary of the death of his twin brother Peter. Respectfully Yours, Paul Kielty, Ballymote.