30 July 1998 Edition
Victims welcome Irish Commissioner
Eilish McCabe, a spokesperson for the Relatives for Justice - the human rights group campaigning for the victims of state violence in the Six Counties - has welcomed the appointment of John Wilson as a victims commissioner by the Dublin government.
Ms McCabe confirmed that the group would be making representations to Wilson and hoped he would not ``make the same mistakes'' as the chairperson of the British victims commission, Kenneth Bloomfield, who ``ignored our specific needs.'' She added that the group were ``not surprised'' by Bloomfield's attitude given that he was ``a former head of the civil service in the North at the time most of the state atrocities were committed against us.'' Ms McCabe condemned ``the appointment of Adam Ingram as a `victims commissioner', who is also minister of those armed forces who violated our human rights and killed our loved ones, added insult to injury.''
Ms McCabe concluded by urging Wilson and the Dublin government to ``take on fully the concerns and feelings of those groups and individuals who have been forgotten.''
Ms McCabe confirmed that the group would be making representations to Wilson and hoped he would not ``make the same mistakes'' as the chairperson of the British victims commission, Kenneth Bloomfield, who ``ignored our specific needs.'' She added that the group were ``not surprised'' by Bloomfield's attitude given that he was ``a former head of the civil service in the North at the time most of the state atrocities were committed against us.'' Ms McCabe condemned ``the appointment of Adam Ingram as a `victims commissioner', who is also minister of those armed forces who violated our human rights and killed our loved ones, added insult to injury.''
Ms McCabe concluded by urging Wilson and the Dublin government to ``take on fully the concerns and feelings of those groups and individuals who have been forgotten.''