The murder of journalist Lyra McKee by the New IRA in the Derry on April 18 was a tragic reminder that Northern Ireland’s fragile peace has delivered neither reconciliation nor prosperity to segregated and marginalised communities.
The journalist’s murder has sent shock waves through the island of Ireland and beyond. It did not however occur in a vacuum. Northern Ireland has been caught in a murky grey area where war and peace ebb and flow. In 1998, following over 30 years of political and sectarian violence, the Good Friday Agreement was signed between political leaders from the Irish and British governments and both sides of Northern Ireland’s divide. The Agreement cautiously ushered in a new era. Local communities dared to believe in the words of the late poet Seamus Heaney that “hope and history [would] rhyme”.
Although it paved the way for significant structural reforms, glaring gaps remain, most notably in respect of accountability for gross human rights violations committed during the armed conflict. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson added insult to injury when he acknowledged the “soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland”. In reality though, those same soldiers were responsible for shooting and killing unarmed civilians, and only one of those responsible, Soldier F, will face criminal prosecution for murder. People are growing old and dying without learning the truth or seeing justice for crimes perpetrated against them or their loved ones. The consequences of this failure cannot be overstated.
