Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress that has been made into the investigation of a person (details supplied). [20862/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Since the House was last briefed on this case, during an Adjournment Debate on 11 November, there have been a number of developments in the case of Michael Dwyer, an Irish citizen who was killed by the Bolivian state security forces in Santa Cruz on 16 April 2009.

Ambassador Philomena Murnaghan, the Ambassador of Ireland to Argentina, who is accredited also to Bolivia, travelled to La Paz on 17 February where she had a number of meetings, including with the Deputy Foreign Minister (Monica Soriano), the Prosecutor and the police investigators in the case. At these meetings, the Ambassador inquired as to progress in the Bolivian Government's investigation of the events surrounding Mr Dwyer's death. She urged the Government of Bolivia to hold an international investigation into the events of 16 April 2009 and reiterated that Ireland was available to provide assistance to, and to cooperate with, the Bolivian Government in an international investigation of this matter.

During the meeting with Minister Soriano, Ambassador Murnaghan was given information which allowed the State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy to supplement her earlier findings. Dr Cassidy prepared a further report, which I have forwarded to the Bolivian Foreign Minister. In my letter to the Minister, I urged him to provide me with the outcome of the Bolivian investigation at the earliest possible opportunity. I will also seek an opportunity to have a meeting with the Foreign Minister, where I will indicate my ongoing concerns about the case.

I have written also to the UN Special Rapporteur for Extra-Judicial Killings to support his efforts in seeking clarification from the Bolivian authorities of the events of 16 April 2009.

I have met with the Dwyer family on a number of occasions, most recently on 14 April. I wish to assure you that I and my officials will persist in our efforts to clarify the circumstances surrounding Mr Dwyer's death and will continue to remain in direct contact with the Dwyer family.