20 ‘NO STONE UNTURNED’


Judicial review is expected to begin this month


The judicial review brought by journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, into the legality of PSNI search warrants used to raid their homes and offices, is expected to begin in Belfast High Court later this month. The documentary film by Barry and Trevor, “No


Stone Unturned”, investigated the UVF massacre of six civilians in Loughinisland in 1994 and raised questions of collusion in the RUC investigation into the murders. The NUJ and its members have strongly supported the two journalists since police raided their homes and offices in 2018 and arrested the men over the alleged theft of confidential documents relating to the massacre. Trevor and Barry were met by a large number


of supporters outside court on March 20th, when lawyers representing them challenged the search warrants and argued in court that there was no evidence in the public interest for the redactions made to the search warrant applications by Durham Constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The joint event held in March outside the


court, organised by the NUJ and Amnesty International, was addressed briefly by NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley and Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Programme Director, and also attended by Alison Millar, vice president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), in a show of support. Speaking in front of the court in March, Séamus called the hearing technical in nature but hugely important. “Justice should be administered in daylight and


not in the dark,” he said. “In order to comprehend the reason why the original warrants were granted it is vital that the entire proceedings are available. Barry, Trevor and their legal teams cannot adequately vindicate their rights with their hands tied behind their back.


“It is obvious that barriers are being put in place at every turn in this case,” he said. “The strain on two working journalists and their families cannot be underestimated. Amid the legal arguments and technicalities it would also be easy to forget that those responsible for the Loughinisland murders remain at large, grieving families are still denied justice and only journalists seeking the truth are at risk of


Pictured outside the court in Belfast at the joint event held in March are, from left: Alison Millar, Trevor Birney, Barry McCaffrey, Séamus Dooley and Patrick Corrigan.


criminal convictions.” In December, the meeting of the NUJ’s IEC


expressed its outrage at the further bail imposed on Barry and Trevor at that time. Members of the IEC also attended a protest at Musgrave PSNI station in December. Joint Cathaoirleach of the


IEC, Gerry Carson said at the time: “The continued targeting of the two journalists by the police is simply unacceptable. Members stress that the PSNI should be concentrating on bringing the killers to justice, not arresting journalists who bring to light vital information that is in the public interest.” Gerry also said that as the IEC met in December, preparations were under way for a special showing of ‘No Stone Unturned’ at the NUJ’s headquarters in London, one of a number of special screenings of the film held across the union in recent months. “So the PSNI and Durham Constabulary should be under no illusion that the NUJ in Ireland and Britain is standing shoulder to shoulder with our colleagues and will continue to do so for however long their ordeal continues,” Gerry said. “The PSNI needs to stop this fishing


expedition and instead invest their efforts into catching the killers,” the joint cathaoirleach said. Trevor and Barry have also received a


message of solidarity from the NUJ Black Members’ Council. Paying tribute to the two journalists, BMC Chairperson, Marc Wadsworth, said: “This is of crucial importance to journalists everywhere. This is a critical battle for the right of journalists to tell stories.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28