Independent Commission for the Victims‘ Remains

Powers and functions

Its functions include receiving information to the whereabouts of the remains of a victim of violence and disclosing such information for the purpose of providing information.

• The Remit and Powers of the Commission are defined by the Northern Ireland (Location of Victims‘ Remains) Act 1999 ^[2] which came into force on 26 May 1999 and the Republic of Ireland ‚Remains) Act, 1999. ^[3]
• A „victim of violence“ is defined as a person killed before 10 April 1998 (the time of the Belfast Agreement ) as a result of an unlawful act of violence committed On Behalf Of, or in connection with, a Proscribed organization. These organizations are those of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996. ^[4]
• Any evidence obtained (directly or indirectly) by the Commission is inadmissible in evidence in any criminal proceedings.
• Any Remains Discovered by the work of the commission are not allowed to UNDERGO forensic testing apart the Purposes of an inquest to suit les the identity of a deceased person or how, When, and Where They died.
• All information provided to the committee will be kept confidential and only where the information is available and where, according to the information, the victim’s remains may be found.
• The commission has the power of entry enforceable by warrant to search anywhere in Northern Ireland.

Victims

The people named by the ICLVR have been killed and buried in undisclosed locations: ^{[1] [5] [6] [7]}

• Seamus Wright (A member of the IRA accused of being a British Army officer ) (1972) (remains found summer 2015)
• Kevin McKee (A member of the IRA accused of being a British Army agent ) (1972)
• Jean McConville (Civilian accused of being a British spy) (1972) (corpse recovered August 2003)
• Joseph Lynskey (A member of the IRA, accused of breaching IRA orders) (1972)
• Peter Wilson (no reason given) (1973) (corpse restored November 2010)
• Eamon Molloy (A member of the IRA accused of being a British Army agent) (1975) (corpse recovered 1999)
• Columba McVeigh (Civilian accused of being a British spy) (1975)
• Robert Nairac (British Army Officer and alleged member of the SAS) (1977)
• Brendan McGraw (Civilian accused of being a British spy) (1978)
• John McClory (Accused of stealing IRA weapons to use in robberies ) (1978) (corpse recovered June 1999)
• Brian McKinney (Accused of stealing IRA weapons to use in robberies) (1978) (corpse recovered June 1999)
• Danny McIlhone (Accused of stealing IRA weapons) (1978) (corpse recovered November 2008)
• Gerard Evans (1979) (1979) (corpse recovered October 2010)
• Charlie Armstrong (Civilian, IRA never officially admitted to him) (1981) (corpse recovered July 2010)
• Eugene Simons / Simmons (New Year’s Day 1981) ^[6]
• Seamus Ruddy (Ex-member of IRSP / INLA , killed over arms supplies, by INLA (1985) ^[8]

Remains recovered

As part of the peace process IRA passed the information of six serious bodies containing eight bodies to the Commission. Using this information the John McClory and Brian McKinney bodies were recovered on June 29, 1999 in County Monaghan . ^[9] The body of Eamon Molloy had been left in a graveyard in Dundalk the previous month. ^[10]

Jean McConville was discovered by accident on Shelling Hill near Carlingford in County Louth in August 2003. The IRA had previously said that Templeton beach, a short distance away, was the place of burial. ^[11]

The remains of Danny McIlhone Were Discovered near Ballynultagh in the Wicklow Mountains in November 2008 ^[12] and Formally APPROBATION using DNA analysis The Following month. ^[13] McIlhone’s remains in 1999 and 2000. ^[14]

In 2010 the remains of Peter Wilson, Gerry Evans and Charlie Armstrong were exhumed, ^[15] meaning that nine of the sixteen disappeared have now been recovered ^[16]

Commissioners

The current commissioners are Sir Kenneth Bloomfield , former head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service and former Northern Ireland Victim Commissioner, and Mr Frank Murray, Secretary to the Government Secretary and Chairman of the Irish Public Appointments Service, ^[17] who took over from John P. Wilson . ^[18] [19]

See also

• Forced disappearance
• Disappeared (Northern Ireland)

References