Press release
Statement by Charlie Flanagan TD, Minister for Justice and Equality
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
"I welcome the appearance today of the Commission for the Location of Victims Remains at the Oireachtas Good Friday Agreement Committee.
"The Commission, with the support of the Irish and British Governments, has worked tirelessly on behalf of the families of the Disappeared in recent years. The Commission has been successful in recovering the remains of many of the victims and, thankfully, this has brought some comfort to the families involved.
"There remain, however, some cases that have yet to be resolved and it is to hoped that the Commission will be able to successfully return the remains of those still missing to their families.
"The Commission’s investigations are complicated and difficult, and information from the public is absolutely crucial to its work. I call on anyone with information about any of the cases of the Disappeared to convey that information to the Commission without delay.
"The Commission’s work is purely humanitarian in its objective. The families of the Disappeared have suffered enough and anyone who can assist in bringing an end to that suffering must do so."
ENDS
The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains was established by an intergovernmental agreement between the British and Irish Governments, signed on 27 April 1999, and by legislation enacted in the two jurisdictions. The Department of Justice and Equality, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Office, provides financial support for the Commission.
The Commission is responsible for facilitating the location of the remains of victims of paramilitary violence who were murdered and secretly buried arising from the conflict in Northern Ireland.
The Commission has in place a confidential free-phone number and post office box address through which information can be passed to it. Any such information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be used for any purpose other than locating the remains of victims.
Further information about the Commission and its activities and about the Disappeared is available at www.iclvr.ie.