15 July 2021
The Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, Micheál Martin, has condemned the UK government's plan to introduce an amnesty for soldiers and paramilitaries active in Northern Ireland before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
"Northern Ireland: The Troubles: Micheál Martin calls Britain's planned 'amnesty' for soldiers and paramilitaries 'wrong for many, many reasons'
THE TAOISEACH has condemned the UK's planned 'amnesty' for people involved in Troubles-era killings, calling the move "wrong for many, many reasons".
Micheál Martin was speaking in the Dáil yesterday following the announcement by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, that the British government would push to end any prosecutions for crimes in the north prior to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
The legislation would apply to British soldiers who killed civilians, such as in the Bloody Sunday massacre, as well as to paramilitaries from all sides including the IRA, UVF and UDA.
Mr Martin told the Dáil that the proposals amounted to "a general amnesty for all security personnel, and all paramilitaries, for murders and other crimes, up until the Good Friday Agreement".
He continued: "It is not the right way to go. It is wrong for many, many reasons. I've stated that consistently.""
Source: The Irish Post, 15 July 2021
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.
Statewatch does not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link does not constitute an endorsement. Registered UK charity number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust. Registered office: MayDay Rooms, 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH. © Statewatch ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals "fair dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law.