Murder victim's sister launches election campaign

A Dublin woman who believes her brother was killed by the IRA is fighting the General Election with the help of other victims of the terror group.

Esther Uzell launched her campaign today in memory of her sibling, Joseph Rafferty, who was shot dead outside his apartment in 2005.

Sisters of Belfast murder victim Robert McCartney and the widow of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe are supporting her.

Ms Uzell has accused Sinn Féin of failing to co-operate with the investigation into her brother's death and of intimidating potential trial witnesses.

However, the party reiterated today that republicans had nothing to hide in relation to the murder of the courier.

Ms Uzell will be running as an Independent candidate for the Dublin South East constituency, where the McCartney sisters helped her canvass voters this afternoon.

She said: "I have reluctantly put my name forward but I had no choice to highlight the failure of some people to co-operate with the police investigation.''

The candidate has brought her campaign for justice to the White House in the US where she met President George Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), which monitors paramilitary ceasefires in the North, has met the Rafferty family in the past.

The Raffertys also had a meeting with former US Ambassador to Ireland James Kenny.