No amnesties on offences in Northern Ireland as we work towards brighter days ahead

A group of Fine Gael TDs has said there should be no amnesties on offences committed in Northern Ireland as we work towards reconciliation and brighter days ahead.

Speaking during Dáil Statements on ‘Legacy Issues in Northern Ireland and New Decade New Approach’ the group rejected the British Government proposal for an amnesty, saying unilateral action on this most sensitive of issues will be an impediment to reconciliation.

Chair of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Good Friday Agreement, Fergus O’Dowd TD, said,

“We must stand firm and reject any possibility of amnesties or statute of limitations on offences that occurred during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Any unilateral action by the British Government on this most sensitive of issues would be an impediment to reconciliation.

“The Stormont House Agreement sets out a comprehensive set of measures to deal with legacy issues in a way that can meet the legitimate needs and expectations of victims and survivors. It supports closure and reconciliation for those communities most affected by the Troubles, and these measures must be victim-centred and focused.

“It is critical that the Historical Investigations Unit, which is part of the Stormont House Agreement, is fully implemented and given the power and resources to investigate legacy events.

“Fine Gael stands with the victims and the families who have lost loved ones during the Troubles, they must have access to truth and justice regardless of whether the perpetrators were British soldiers, republicans or loyalists; they must be brought to justice.”

Dun Laoghaire TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill added, “We’re a little over two months away from the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Ireland has had stability and good recovery in those 25 years, but there is so much work left to be done for true, and I mean true, reconciliation and the enhancement of mutual trust and understanding between communities.

“We reject the damaging and unhelpful proposals by the British Government to allow an amnesty. Victims of violence, all victims of violence and their families deserve justice.”

Dublin Rathdown TD Neale Richmond concluded, “When we speak of the Troubles and Northern Ireland’s history, we so often hear people say that we need to move on, we need to move forward. However, as we were reminded this past weekend in Derry, so many families do not have this luxury.

“Too many families who lost loved ones cannot just move on, especially at a time when they are being deprived the possibility of justice from the British Government, or information from former paramilitaries that can at least give them closure.

“Reconciliation on this island, on these islands, will be built through a shared desire to move forward to brighter days. In order to do that, we must ensure all commitments are met; particularly those contained in New Decade, New Approach.

“There are brighter days ahead for this island, North and South, but we need genuine commitment from all parties to get to that point, to work through the difficulties that will move us towards genuine reconciliation.

“I can never pretend to truly appreciate the pain experienced by those families and individuals directly impacted by the atrocities that scarred our land during a dark period in our shared history, but I can promise that their pain will not be ignored nor their right to justice denied,” Deputy Richmond concluded.