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By Liz Trainor
INFLUENTIAL American human rights’ activists and journalists have called for an independent inquiry into the death of Real IRA man Joseph O’Connor.
The call comes days after members of a west Belfast-based republican writers group withdrew a statement stating they believed the Provisional IRA was behind the killing.
New York attorney Mary Bartholomew and Patrick Farrelly, a former editor of the Irish Voice newspaper, have described the twist as “a very dangerous turn of events”.
The 26-year-old father-of-three was gunned down as he sat in a car at Whitecliff Parade in the Ballymurphy estate almost two weeks ago.
Security chiefs have yet to say who carried out the attack on October 13.
The Provisional IRA, which Mr O’Connor’s mother and dissidents republicans blame for the killing, has publicly denied any part in the murder.
Last week former republicans Tommy Gorman and Anthony McIntyre, who write for the magazine Fourthwrite, added their weight to the claim that mainstream republicans were behind the attack.
But within days they backtracked after crowds picketed their homes.
The American observers, who also include musicians, playwrights and human rights activists, said all sides had a right to express their views.
“The writers group issued a statement stating their inquiries concluded that the Provisional IRA carried out this assassination,” the statement said.
We are not in a position to know whether this is the case or not.
However, the fact that a prominent member of the group was subsequently threatened by senior Provisionals does little to allay suspicions and a lot to instill fear in the nationalist community.
It is one of the unfortunate residues of the republican tradition that political disagreements are often settled by violence.
The use of assassination and threat to intimidate those with whom you don’t agree is a censorship that should be denounced by all democrats.”
The group said that regardless of how a violent organisation like the Real IRA – which was responsible for the Omagh bomb atrocity – was viewed, the killing of Mr. O’Connor demanded an independent inquiry by human rights leaders.
“It is in the interests of all those who value freedom of expression that such an independent inquiry should take place.
Truth and accountability should take precedence over fear and paranoia.”
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