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5 December 2011

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TABLOID PAYS DAMAGES AND APOLOGISES TO SINN FÉIN MLA IN DUBLIN HIGH COURT

Gerry Kelly wins libel action against Sunday World

THE Sunday World has suffered a significant and humiliating double defeat at the hands of a senior Sinn Féin figure in the Dublin High Court, losing a libel action taken against the sensationalist tabloid by North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly.
The Sunday World had to read an apology in open court to Gerry Kelly on Thursday 10th November after falsely claiming he was Chief of Staff of the IRA after the end of its first cessation in February 1996. The World had also, in a separate article in December 1996, made the malicious and false allegation that Kelly was having an affair with one of US President Bill Clinton’s senior aides “for ulterior motives”.
Kelly sued the paper for libel and the case was settled at the Dublin High Court on Thursday 10th November. As well as the apology for the two offending articles, Gerry Kelly received undisclosed damages.
In court, legal counsel for the Sunday World, Oisín Quinn SC, read out the apology and said his client “acknowledges that both articles were wrong” and “apologises to Gerry Kelly for the upset the articles caused”.
Speaking afterwards, Gerry Kelly said:
“This case could have been settled 15 years ago with a simple apology from the Sunday World but they consistently fought to keep the case from going to court.
“I felt I should pursue the case in order to combat the view in some elements of the media that republicans, and particularly ex-prisoners, are fair game and easy targets.
“There is an onus on all journalists and news corporations to report in an honest and fact-based manner. To do otherwise, as was done in this case, is to do a disservice not only to the people involved in the story but to the public in general.”

Sunday World apology
ON 25th FEBRUARY 1996, the Sunday World published an article stating that Gerry Kelly was Chief of Staff of the IRA and had responsibility for ending the IRA ceasefire in February 1996.
On 1st December 1996, the Sunday World published a story suggesting that Gerry Kelly had a liaison with a US diplomat Martha Pope for ulterior motives.
The Sunday World acknowledges that both articles were wrong.  The Sunday World accepts that Mr Kelly has played an important part in ending the violence in Northern Ireland and made a positive and significant contribution to the peace process.
The Sunday World apologises to Gerry Kelly for the upset that the articles caused.

 

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