SINN FÉIN has repeated a call for anyone with information on the so-called “disappeared”, those abducted, killed and secretly buried by paramilitaries, to bring it to the special commission tasked with finding their remains.
The party’s call follows a report that the IRA, despite previous denials, secretly held, questioned then shot 24-year-old Crossmaglen man Gerard Evans in 1979.
The Sunday Tribuneclaimed an IRA member had come forward with an admission of responsibility for the Co Armagh man's death and had provided a detailed map of the location of his body.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who left yesterday for the inauguration of Barack Obama as US president in Washington, has previously repeated that the IRA was not responsible.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said last night there was nothing new to add other than to call again for information to be given to the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains.
The SDLP however said the report showed that the republican leadership persisted in hiding the truth despite their public statements. The party said that if the IRA was capable of lying over the murder of Gerard Evans, it could do the same in relation to the murder of Paul Quinn who was beaten to death just over a year ago.
Dominic Bradley, SDLP Assembly member for Newry and Armagh, said “This is a well researched and highly credible report, but its real value is that it confirms what everyone with any sense already knew; that the Provos took Gerard Evans, killed him and buried him secretly.
“It is particularly important to note that the IRA member who has now provided details of Gerard Evans’s burial place was motivated by the murder of Paul Quinn.
“The Provisional movement needs to stand down the whole South Armagh leadership, not only the commanders who sanctioned the murders of Gerard Evans and Paul Quinn, but also those who have given them political cover and did their propaganda work, those who spread the malicious rumours and did the character assassination which compounded the crime of murder many times over,” Mr Bradley said. “There must be no more lies.”