From the BBC:
“US Congress group warns
Troubles plan 'a mistake'”
US Congress members have told
Boris Johnson it would be a "serious mistake" to go ahead with a
proposal to end Troubles-related prosecutions. In July, the government unveiled
plans which would see an end to Troubles-related prosecutions. The prime
minister said it would allow Northern Ireland to "draw a line under the
Troubles". In an open letter, the 36 Congress members called on the prime
minister to abandon the plans. The signatories said their districts'
"large Irish American populations" held "grave concerns". The
UK government proposal would apply to former members of the security forces as
well as ex-paramilitaries. It would also end future inquests and civil actions.
Northern Ireland's five main political parties, the Irish government and
victims' groups all oppose the idea, which some have described as a de-facto
amnesty. In their letter, led by Democrat Brendan Boyle and Republican Brian
Fitzpatrick, the members of Congress said the proposal would "cement
widespread feelings that justice was being denied" and "strain"
the Irish-British relationship. They also called on Mr Johnson to reaffirm the
government's commitment to the Stormont House Agreement.
The Stormont House Agreement,
signed in 2014, committed to a number of new initiatives around legacy cases,
including a Historical Investigations Unit to examine unsolved murders carried
out during the Troubles. "We believe it would be a serious mistake for the
British government to renege on its commitment to the Stormont House
Agreement," the Congress members wrote. They added: "We strongly
disapprove of these proposals. We believe that they would not only prevent a
pathway to justice, but that they would also strip these families of their
legal rights protected under European Law and the Good Friday Agreement."
^ Hopefully the Brits won't end these
investigations and trials. The British Government in Belfast and London already
covered-up their crimes (murdering innocent and unarmed men, women and children
simply because they were Catholic and then blaming the victims and their
families) for decades now they want the murderers to go free and unpunished.
Northern Ireland at 100 (1921-2021.) ^
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