The mother of Private Seán Rooney, an Irish peacekeeper who tragically died, has condemned his trial as a “sham.”
Natasha Rooney expressed the family’s “extreme disappointment and heartbreak at the recent court proceedings in Lebanon.”
Ms. Rooney stated, “What happened in Lebanon was not justice.”
“The trial into the murder of my son was heard and determined in less than half a day. Not only was justice not done, it was not seen to be done, with little to no information being disclosed or challenged in open Court,” her statement read.
“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,” the statement continued.
On Monday, the Lebanese Permanent Military Court found six individuals guilty in the killing of Private Rooney, which occurred in December 2022.
Mohammad Ayyad, the main defendant, was sentenced to death in absentia and remains at large, while others received fines.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described Ayyad’s continued freedom as “unsatisfactory.”
In her statement, Ms. Rooney questioned the timing of the proceedings, which were moved forward from their original date in September 2025.
“The unforeseen expedition has been credited in some quarters as a testament to diplomatic pressures,” the statement noted.
“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,” she wrote.
UNIFIL’s mandate is scheduled for renewal by the UN Security Council at the end of August.
Ms. Rooney asserted that her son’s legacy has been “tarnished with fake news and false narratives” from the beginning.
“In the immediate aftermath, in what we believe was a concerted effort to shift the focus, the misnomer of a ‘wrong turn’ was perpetuated,” she wrote.
She maintained 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.
“Not only did he not appear for his trial, but it is clear that he might never appear,” the statement added.
“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 wrote.
“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 1200 dollars.
“Whilst hurt and disappointed, I expected nothing less from a Government that is run hand in glove with a terrorist organisation,” she wrote.
“I am however not angry. I am determined. My son died trying to protect his three comrades as he made all efforts to escape an armed gang who had surrounded their vehicle and fired their shots. He dedicated his entire life to protect those of his three friends.”
The family of Private Seán Rooney has previously accused the United Nations of failing to cooperate or provide information from internal investigations.
“In his name, I will dedicate every bone in my body to ensure justice for Seán, and to highlight the uncomfortable truths about the systematic failings by the United Nations, the Irish Defence Forces and the Lebanese Justice system,” Ms. Rooney declared in the statement.
Private Seán Rooney’s mum slams trial of his killers was last modified: July 31st, 2025 by
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