LAST UPDATE | 31 Jul

THE MOTHER OF Private Seán Rooney, who was killed while serving in Lebanon with the United Nations, has described the trial proceedings in Beirut as a “sham”.

Natasha Rooney added that the trial in Beirut earlier this week “was not justice” and “unreflective of what we regards as a trial process”.

She also said that Tánaiste Simon Harris should “speak to me, before seeking to speak for me, in his public statements”.

In a statement after the trial, Harris welcomed the completion of the hearings and also welcomed the conviction. 

He added that he “shared the disappointment of Private Rooney’s family at the lighter sentences imposed on a number of those convicted”.

Harris also extended his appreciation to the court in Beirut for moving the trial date forward from September and thanked his Department officials who attended the hearing. 

This evening, in a response to Natasha Rooney’s statement, the Tánaiste said: 

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering experienced by Rooney family. As I said after the military tribunal, I was deeply disappointed at some of the lighter sentences imposed.

“I look forward to meeting Mrs Rooney and arrangements are underway to ensure this happens. Above all, I want to support her quest for justice in any way I possibly can.”

Military Tribunal

Private Rooney, 24, from Newtowncunningham, Co Donegal, was killed while serving in Lebanon when his UN peacekeeping convoy was attacked on 14 December 2022.

The shooting, near the town of Al-Aqbiya in the south of Lebanon, a stronghold of militant group Hezbollah, resulted in the death of Private Rooney while Trooper Shane Kearney was badly wounded.

Earlier this week, a Military Tribunal in Beirut convicted one main defendant, Mohammad Ayyad, for the murder of Private Rooney and sentenced him to death.

However, Ayyad, a member of Hezbollah, was absent from proceedings.

While Taoiseach Micheál Martin welcomed Ayyad’s conviction, he said it was “unsatisfactory that he is still at large”. 

It is understood that Ayyad’s sentence will remain valid for 25 years and that the court asked that he come forward.

It is further understood that the punishment may be commuted to a life sentence, should the man come forward.

Five other defendants were also convicted for the murder of Private Rooney earlier this week and Harris expressed disappointment over the sentences imposed on the other defendants.

It is understood that two of them received two and three month jail sentences, respectively, and were ordered to pay a fine.

Two other people were fined, and the final person was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.

‘Sham trial’

In a statement today issued by Phoenix Law on behalf of Nastasha Rooney, she described her son as a “brave and courageous soldier”.

She added: “Whilst no court case or litigation can bring Seán back, the truth and justice for his murder is the very least he deserves.”

She added that she cannot “sit idly by and let the truth get lost in the hysteria”.

She said that the trial in Lebanon “was not justice” and “unreflective of what we regards as a trial process”.

Rooney said that the trial was “heard and determined in less than half a day” and that “little to no information” was disclosed or challenged in open court.

“Instead, we are forced to believe the answers provided by a Lebanese justice system which from the outset has failed to hold those responsible to account,” said Rooney.

The trial had faced numerous delays and was then scheduled for September.

She said this trial date was “brought forward with minimal notice causing unforeseen pressures”. 

She added: “The unforeseen expedition has been credited in some quarters as a testament to diplomatic pressures.  

“To others, it is difficult to avoid the conclusive coincidence that the expediting of the trial process comes at the critical time the UN Mandate comes for renewal.”

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on whether to continue the mandate for the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) mission in August. 

Meanwhile, Rooney said her son’s death has been “tarnished with fake news and false narratives” and that the “reality behind that narrative was very different”.

“The factual reality here is that the perpetrator who has been convicted for my son’s murder has been untraceable and untraced for many years,” said Rooney.

She also voiced concern that Ayyad “might never appear”. 

“The verdict in reality is nothing more than a headline to the Lebanese authorities who masquerade this sham trial process as a semblance of justice for my son.”

She also criticised the fact that some of the defendants were handed fines and said: “In what other country would accomplices to the murder of a peacekeeping soldier be sentenced to monetary fines.

“To the Lebanese Courts, assisting in the murder of my son is worth nothing more than $1,200.”

Meanwhile, Rooney said she “expected more from the very country to whom my son died wearing with pride his native flag”.  

She added: “In a Country where victims’ rights ought to be paramount, it would perhaps be wise for the Tánaiste to speak to me, before seeking to speak for me, in his public statements.”

Rooney said she will dedicate herself to ensuring there is justice for her son and to “highlight the uncomfortable truths about the systematic failings by the United Nations, the Irish Defence Forces and the Lebanese Justice system”.

With reporting by Christina Finn