Mac Lochlainn calls for an urgent Dáil debate on the findings of the Kenova Report

Sinn Féin Chief Whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has called for an urgent Dáil debate on the findings of the legacy investigations and reviews published today as part of the Kenova Final Report.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Deputy Mac Lochlainn said the reports provide further confirmation of collusion, criminality and cover-up by the British State and expose the central role of the British State over decades in hundreds of targeted assassinations and murders of Irish citizens.

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Kenova is a complex and wide-ranging investigation which was launched to investigate allegations of murder, kidnap and torture dating back to the 1970s.

A review into the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, which claimed the lives of 34 people, has found there was no evidence of collusion on the part of the British state in the 1974 atrocity. The Kenova Final Report says the UVF was "independently capable" of carrying out the attacks, having the knowledge, expertise and materials needed.

The final report on Operation Kenova, alongside reports on Operations Denton, Mizzenmast and Turma, were published in Belfast.

Teachta Mac Lochlainn said: “My thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones and who continue to campaign tirelessly for truth and justice.

“These reports expose the central role of the British State over decades in hundreds of targeted assassinations and murders of Irish citizens. They provide further proof of criminality, collusion and cover-ups at the highest levels of the British State and confirm that their agencies repeatedly broke the law.

“The British State agency MI5 deliberately attempted to block the truth by undermining Operation Kenova. Considering efforts by British State actors to block cooperation and withhold the truth there are serious questions about their approach in dealing with the past under the proposed new Legacy Act mechanisms. We need an urgent Dáil debate to allow us to deal with the seriousness of these findings."