The sisters of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney have decided against contesting elections as part of their campaign.
Paula McCartney, whose brother was stabbed and beaten outside a Belfast city centre bar in January, said today they felt their energies would be best spent focusing on their campaign for justice.
"If we went into the elections, our attention would be distracted by other issues," she said. "We want to concentrate solely on resolving the issue of Robert's murder.
"We still have the same momentum, not just as a family - I feel people are very interested in how this is resolved because they feel it affects their future as well," she said.
Mr McCartney was killed after a pub brawl in Belfast in January. Several members of the IRA were expelled for their involvement in the killing and several members of Sinn Féin admitted being in the bar on the night.
The IRA has been accused of operating a cover-up and of shielding the killers.
In its Easter statement the IRA said its members were not criminals, and it has done all in its power to assist the McCartney family to bring Robert's killers to justice.
The statement, which carried the P O'Neill imprimatur, did not refer to an IRA offer to shoot those members centrally involved in the fatal stabbing.
Mr McCartney's sisters and his partner travelled to Washington on St Patrick's Day to highlight their campaign.