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Troubles bill puts perpetrators before victims, say politicians and bereaved

The families of victims on both sides of the debate have slammed the government’s plan to end criminal investigations

By Tom Griffin
Troubles bill puts perpetrators before victims, say politicians and bereaved
Members of Relatives for Justice, whose loved ones were killed during the Troubles, protest the government's Troubles bill | PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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Justice for those killed in the Troubles in Northern Ireland could be drastically curtailed under legislation currently passing through Parliament – despite widespread opposition from politicians and victims’ families.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is an attempt to deal with almost 1,000 unsolved killings – offering alleged perpetrators immunity from prosecution in return for their testimony.

Many fear the bill – which would end all criminal cases, civil cases and inquests related to the Troubles, replacing them with a review process – will reduce scrutiny of the conflict.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0