Latest news with #Troubles-era
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Troubles veterans won't be forced to give evidence over killings in person
British veterans will not be forced to give evidence over Troubles killings in person, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has insisted. The Government has ditched an effective amnesty for Troubles-era killings, which would have prevented the prosecution of former soldiers. Hilary Benn said Labour had to scrap parts of the Conservatives' Legacy Act after it was struck down by domestic courts for breaking human rights laws that require deaths to be investigated. The Act included a conditional amnesty for Troubles-era killers, soldiers and terrorists alike if they gave information to the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. The commission, which was set up to investigate deaths and promote reconciliation and has the power to summon witnesses, would then report back to families. Whistleblowers would be given effective immunity from later prosecution if they gave a truthful account of their involvement in the crimes. New civil cases and inquests into Troubles-era crimes were stopped on May 1 last year as part of the changes the Act brought in. Labour will 'repeal and replace' the Act, but plans to keep the commission to help victims' families get information, which means elderly veterans could be asked by it to give evidence. Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Benn said there was 'no reason' why former soldiers should be forced to leave home. 'I know that giving evidence to the commission or to any other legacy process about the events of several decades ago can be a daunting prospect, particularly for elderly veterans,' he said. 'With today's technology, there is no reason why those giving evidence in such cases should be forced to travel and stay away from home in order to give evidence.' He promised veterans welfare support and, if appropriate, legal help before they spoke to the commission. Mr Benn admitted 'the prospect of any future prosecutions is vanishingly small'. The Troubles lasted for about 30 years, from the late 1960s to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. More than 3,600 people were killed and there are more than 1,100 unsolved killings. Soldier F, a former paratrooper, is expected to go on trial in September charged with two murders and five attempted murders on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Conservatives accused the Government of introducing 'two-tier justice' in Northern Ireland with its changes to the Tories' 2023 Legacy Act. It ends protections from prosecution for veterans while putting IRA suspects interned in the Troubles, such as Gerry Adams, in line for taxpayer-funded compensation, they said. The Legacy Act was fiercely opposed by all the major parties in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein and the DUP said it would mean victims' families never get justice. The Irish government took the UK to the European Court of Human Rights in a case that remains active while Labour decides on new legislation. By Hilary Benn Our United Kingdom is today transformed from the place that, for three decades between the late 1960s and 1998, was scarred by terrorist violence. The Troubles tore Northern Ireland apart. And in the early 1970s, the IRA brought their campaign of terror to towns and cities across England. Throughout that terrible period, the professionalism, bravery and sacrifice of our Armed Forces and other security personnel helped to keep people across the United Kingdom safe and to protect life. In doing so, they ultimately helped to bring about peace. I have been honoured to meet with some of them. The Good Friday Agreement enshrined that peace. And alongside the promise of a better tomorrow, it also recognised the need to acknowledge and address the suffering of all those who had lost loved ones. And yet I have met many families who are still – decades on – seeking answers about what happened to their parent, grandparent, partner or child. I know that in many cases, their pain has been compounded by the last government's 2023 Legacy Act and the legal mess it created. That legislation was widely rejected at the time. And last year it was found – repeatedly – to be unlawful by our domestic courts. That was not least because it would have offered immunity from prosecution to terrorists, who were responsible for some 90 per cent of all Troubles-related deaths. Any incoming government would have had to repeal the immunity scheme and other unlawful provisions. It is wrong for any political party to suggest otherwise. That's why it has fallen to this Government to deal with this. We are committed to repeal and replace the Legacy Act in a way that is lawful, fair and that enables all those families to find answers. We will always recognise the extreme circumstances under which our Armed Forces were operating; the split-second judgments that had to be made, and the restraint that was so often required in the face of danger. There will be no rewriting of history. That also means that on those rare occasions where the standards that we rightly expect of our Armed Forces were not upheld, we do not shy away from this. The contrast could not have been starker between the efforts of our Armed Forces who were trying to protect life, and the actions of the terrorist organisations who only ever intended to harm others and cause destruction. And that is why during the Troubles, an estimated 25,000 to 35,000 republican and loyalist paramilitaries were imprisoned for a range of offences, including murder. Sadly, all these years later, the reality is that there are still over 1,100 unsolved killings, including over 200 where service personnel were killed by paramilitaries. Each and every one of these families deserves, as soon as possible, to have a system in place that they can have confidence in. That is why we are not starting again from scratch. Instead, we will retain and significantly reform the independent commission that was established under the Legacy Act, which is already taking forward over 50 investigations, including into the Guildford pub bombing. With the passage of time, the prospect of any future prosecutions is vanishingly small. Indeed, since 2012 there have been only six convictions for Troubles-related deaths, all but one of them of terrorists. This means that for a family approaching the legacy commission, obtaining information about what happened to their loved one will be the most likely outcome. I know that giving evidence to the Commission or to any other legacy process about the events of several decades ago can be a daunting prospect, particularly for elderly veterans. That is why we need to have better protections in place and I am working with the Defence Secretary on this. For instance, with today's technology, there is no reason why those giving evidence in such cases should be forced to travel and stay away from home in order to give evidence. This Government will also continue to support our veterans involved in these processes with welfare and, where appropriate, legal support. As we prepare new legislation, I will continue to discuss this, in all its complexity, with all interested parties. We owe it to those who were affected by the Troubles across the United Kingdom, including our Armed Forces community, to get this right. Hilary Benn is the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Dithering over Troubles legacy is costing us millions
Five months ago Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, pledged to repeal the controversial Legacy Act, which sought to bring an end to all Troubles-era legal actions. Since then there has been foot-dragging. Perhaps Benn's officials are busy drawing up a clause to prevent the likes of Gerry Adams and other republicans from claiming compensation for being interned without trial in the 1970s. Whatever the reason, the issue of how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles festers: more than 1,000 unsolved and unexplained murders; allegations of torture; claims of collusion between terrorists and security agencies; multiple cover-ups. This was all considered too tricky at the time of the Good Friday agreement and has been kicked into the long grass ever since. The failure
Irish Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Republic must share Omagh bombing information with inquiry, says North's former police ombudsman
The State must initiate a 'determined process' to make its records available to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, the North's former police ombudsman has said. Baroness Nuala O'Loan said she believed legislation was probably necessary 'to enable the transmission of intelligence and information which the Republic holds' about the 1998 atrocity, in which 31 people, including unborn twins, died. She also said it was her assessment the State would 'need some sort of commission' which would 'at the very least assist the working' of any UK body charged with investigating Troubles-era killings. 'There are very difficult jurisdictional issues to that, there are difficult political issues to that, but we have to be innovative and find new ways,' Ms O'Loan said. READ MORE The peer was among a number of witnesses, including the North's Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, and the head of investigative body Operation Kenova, Iain Livingstone, who appeared before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster on Wednesday. The group of MPs are currently examining the UK government's approach to dealing with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in view of its pledge to repeal the controversial legacy Act introduced by the previous administration. The Irish Government recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Omagh inquiry – which is investigating whether the UK security services could have prevented the bombing – to allow it to access material held by the State, but some relatives and unionist politicians have said this does not go far enough and an independent, parallel inquiry is needed. Ms O'Loan said she saw the agreement as 'indicative of a will to assist'. [ Omagh bombing inquiry: State reaches deal clearing way for information to be shared Opens in new window ] 'There's an awful lot of the crime which occurred actually occurred in planning terms in the Republic of Ireland, and an awful lot of information is held in the Republic of Ireland, and it's a bit difficult to get that information out. 'I would have expected, and I said that the Republic should have established some sort of independent inquiry on Omagh to run parallel to our own inquiry, because there's clear evidence that that bomb was planned down there. 'But this is repeated across many incidents in the Troubles [and] I think that there needs to be probably legislation in the South to enable to transmission of intelligence and information which the Republic holds,' she said. Asked by the DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, if she believed 'the Irish Government should be doing an awful lot more', particularly in regard to the Omagh bombing, she replied, 'I absolutely do. 'It would have been remiss of An Garda Síochána if they had not been gathering intelligence and information about the activities of terrorists, IRA people, particularly in the jurisdiction, and they were gathering such information, and it would be imperative that such information is shared. 'If we look at Omagh, for example, we know that the bomb which came to Omagh and exploded came up from the South. 'There's been too much of a process by which assurances have been given that all information will be provided ... but then when you go back and ask for the information it's not provided. 'I think there needs to be a really serious look in the Republic of Ireland – and I know how difficult it's going to be, because I know the dynamics, the constructs, the contexts are difficult – but there actually does need to be a determined process through which the records in the Republic of Ireland are made available where necessary so that the Omagh bomb inquiry can do its work,' Ms O'Loan said.
