Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice NI Upcoming Conference

Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice Northern Ireland will be holding a conference at the Europa Hotel in Belfast this Saturday 22nd of October 2022, from 11am until 1pm, to bring together bereaved families, lawyers, politicians and experts to discuss the progress of the UK-wide Covid Public Inquiry, which will look into the handling of the pandemic in NI. We will also be discussing the progress of our campaign for a NI devolved inquiry. It will be possible to interview bereaved families and speakers at the event. 

The event will be an opportunity for families bereaved by Covid 19 to come together and learn more about the progress of the UK wide Covid Inquiry and our campaign for a NI specific inquiry. There will be a Q and A session following a talk from our panel. 

Anyone who has lost a loved one to Covid 19 in Northern Ireland is warmly welcomed to join us, to find out more about what the inquiries hope to achieve, and how you might want to be involved. 

Journalists are also warmly invited to join the event to hear from speakers, families and supportive MLAs. We will be happy to arrange interviews at the event. 

Brenda Doherty and Martina Ferguson, who both lost their mothers to Covid 19, have made the following statement ahead of the event:

‘This is a really important step for our campaign; the first time we have been able to gather politicians, families and lawyers in one room to discuss how we get justice for families like ours who lost loved ones to Covid 19 in Northern Ireland. 

Northern Ireland Bereaved Families for Justice has recently been granted Core Participant status for Module 1 of the UK Covid Inquiry, which means we will have a legal role within the inquiry. Having already shaped the terms of reference of the inquiry, our Core Participant status will allow us to see evidence provided by public bodies and authorities, and guide the questions asked in the inquiry. 

The Bereaved families are honouring those we have lost by making sure that everything is done to keep people safe in the future. Nobody wants to be in our position, but seeing as sadly so many of us in Northern Ireland find ourselves missing a loved one to Covid 19, we will come together to make sure our voices are heard loud and clear. Saturday’s event at the Europa Hotel is our first formal get-together. It will help families understand the public inquiry and our role as core participants, as well as the campaign for a NI specific inquiry. 

We look forward to seeing you there.