Protest organised to demand Public Inquiry into Sean Brown Murder

A protest is set to take place at Belfast High Court to demand a public inquiry into the murder of Bellaghy man Sean Brown. 

The news of this protest comes following an announcement from Secretary of State Hilary Benn that the Government will appeal a court ruling that its refusal to hold a public inquiry into the GAA chairman’s murder. 

Mr Benn has not confirmed he ultimately intends to take the case to the Supreme Court, but has applied for “protective leave” to appeal to the UK’s highest court if he believes that course of action to be “necessary”.

The deadline for making such an application is later this week.

Mr Brown, 61, the chairman of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA club, was ambushed, kidnapped and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries as he locked the gates of the club in May 1997.

No-one has ever been convicted of his killing.

In a post on Facebook Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA club said:

“We are inviting everyone to join the Brown Family in protest as we demand a public inquiry into Sean’s murder

No more delays - time for truth and justice”

Aontú Deputy Leader and Representative for East Derry Gemma Brolly also spoke on the upcoming protest saying: 

“This could have been my father, granda, uncle, neighbour, or yours. Justice delayed is justice denied. Feet on the street!”

Mr Brown’s daughter Siobhan branded the NIO’s handling of the announcement on Wednesday as “disgraceful”.

She said she had not even time to inform her mother about the move before Mr Benn appeared in the media announcing his decision at Westminster.

“I hadn’t even got the chance to show that letter to my mother whenever Hilary Benn stood in Westminster and gave a press conference,” she told BBC Radio Ulster.

She added: “It’s totally disgraceful. We were distraught at the fact that this information had been released without the family knowing entirely. Yes, some of us had received it (legal letter sent to the family’s solicitor), but the rest of us were at work. We didn’t get that information straight away and to suddenly hear it being broadcast is disgraceful.

“And, again, it’s just another thing that the Government is trying to do to undermine us as a family and treat us with so much disrespect, which has happened right through the 28 years since my father was murdered.”

Mr Brown’s daughter said the only acceptable way forward for her family was a public inquiry.

“There’s obviously very dirty secrets there that the Government wants to keep from us as a family and they’re going out right, taking all action that they possibly can to prevent that information from coming out,” she said.