There are growing calls for the UK government to formally apologise to the relatives of those killed in the Ballymurphy shootings of August 1971. An inquest found that ten people killed in west Belfast almost 50 years ago in the wake of an Army operation were “entirely innocent”.
They included a priest trying to help the wounded and a mother of eight.
Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood have called for a government apology.
In a statement issued after the announcement, a government spokesperson said it would now “take the time to review the report and carefully consider the conclusions”. The shootings happened after an operation in which paramilitary suspects were detained without trial.
But Mrs Justice Keegan concludes that what is very clear, is that all of the deceased in the series of inquests were entirely innocent of any wrongdoing on the day in question.
Justice Minister Naomi Long said the UK government needed to “step up and formally apologise”.
