ACTORS LIAM NEESON and James Nesbitt have backed a renewed appeal by the families of The Disappeared for information that could lead to the recovery of the remains of the seven murder victims.
The actors, who starred together in the award winning BBC NI drama ‘Five Minutes of Heaven’ said: “The pain caused by the murder of a relative is almost unimaginable.”
“The pain of not knowing where that murdered relative has been secretly buried and the family denied the chance to properly grieve is almost unbearable,” they added.
The Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams also expressed his support for the families of those whose loved ones were killed and secretly buried by the IRA.
“I want to appeal again for anyone with any information on those killed and secretly buried by the IRA to bring that information forward to the families, the Commission or myself,” he said. “The IRA acknowledged that it was responsible for 13 of the people who were killed and secretly buried during the conflict. It apologised to the families for the grief it caused”.
Of the 17 people acknowledged as ‘disappeared’ since 1972, the remains of 10 have been located and returned to their families.
In April 1999 the British and Irish Governments jointly established the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR). Any information provided to it is held in complete confidence and can only be used for the location of the Disappeared.
The remains of Peter Wilson who disappeared in 1973 were recovered within two hours of the search commencing in November 2010. “More can and must be done in the name of common humanity to help the families,” said a spokesperson from WAVE Trauma Centre.
The appeal coincides with the launch of a book The Disappeared of Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’. Published by the WAVE Trauma Centre, it brings together for the first time the personal stories of 14 of the families of the Disappeared.
Anyone with information on the Disappeared can contact the ICLVR on 00800 555 85500, by writing to ICLVR, PO Box 10827, Dublin 2 or via the website www.iclvr.ie.
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