Murder of Royal Navy sailor David Cuthbert
Tabled 4 February 2026 by Gavin Robinson
That this House marks the 54th anniversary of the murder of David Cuthbert, a teenage Royal Navy sailor who was shot dead in Rio de Janeiro on 5 February 1972 while serving his country overseas; remembers that David Cuthbert was deliberately targeted by Brazilian terrorists as an act of solidarity with Irish Republicans while on his first tour of duty; pays tribute to his family, who endured their loss with dignity despite many years passing before formal recognition was given; notes that the Provisional IRA and its political wing, Sinn Fein, historically formed part of a wider international network of radical organisations and regimes, sharing ideology, propaganda, operational contacts, training and material support with other militant movements including in Latin America and Europe with documented instances of Irish republican individuals or representatives engaging with groups linked to FARC in Colombia and with figures in the Basque Country and with political actors in Venezuela; and affirms that terrorism, regardless of the political or ideological justification advanced for it, can never be legitimate and must be confronted honestly, without excuse, equivocation or historical revisionism.