British Government Pushing Through Law to Deny Their Victims Access to the Courts

The British Government last night pushed through their unilateral proposals to deny victims of the conflict access to courts, to inquests, and to end all investigations.

The proposals will now go to the British House of Lords for further consideration. These proposals follow a series of findings of unlawful killings by British soldiers and the involvement of the British military in covert killings.

The British Government's proposals are opposed by all political parties and the Irish Government. The British government-appointed Human Rights Commissioner has called the legislation “Fatally Flawed”.

In addition, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, said: “unilaterally shutting down options that many victims and families value greatly as part of their way of dealing with the past ignores their needs and wishes, and is causing many of them deep distress”.

In pursuing this course the British Government is setting aside its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and previous agreements.

Linda Dillon MLA said, ““The fact that the British government is fast-tracking this plan through Westminster and ignoring the voices of victims and families, all political parties and the Human Rights Commission who have branded this legislation flawed, demonstrates their arrogance.

“It’s time for Boris Johnson to listen to the voices of the international community, victims and families, human rights experts and parties who are calling for this flawed legacy legislation to be scrapped now.

“End the cycle of making agreements and then breaking them by implementing the 2014 Stormont House Agreement which has the backing of victims and families and is the best way of accessing truth and justice in a human rights compliant manner.”