Doug Beattie rejects CAJ legacy report as ‘distorting narrative of the Troubles’

New legacy proposals contained in an academic report published yesterday would “distort the narrative of the Troubles,” Doug Beattie has said.
By Mark Rainey
Published 9th Apr 2020, 21:32 BST
UUP MLA Doug Beattie. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker PressUUP MLA Doug Beattie. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press
UUP MLA Doug Beattie. Photo: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press

The Ulster Unionist justice spokesperson was commenting after Queen’s University academics and the Committee for the Administration of Justice (CAJ) proposed a series of measures for consideration.

The ‘Prosecutions, Imprisonment and the Stormont House Agreement’ report is said to benchmark UK Government plans “against binding human rights obligations, the Good Friday Agreement, and the Stormont House Agreement (SHA)”.

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Mr Beattie has described the report as “the latest attempt to breathe life into the discredited Stormont House Agreement legacy arrangements”.

DUP MP Sir Jeffrey DonaldsonDUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson
DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson

He said: “It is curious that such ‘experts’ should be incapable of accessing basic facts in this report, and incorrectly claim that Stormont House was a five-party agreement. We believe that the Ulster Unionist Party is better placed to judge what we did or did not sign up to – and for the avoidance of doubt, we did not sign up to the SHA legacy arrangements.”

“The Ulster Unionist Party highlighted the flaws in these proposals from the outset and our analysis is shared by many victims. In particular we identified the dangers of a parallel police force in the shape of the Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) and the weaknesses of an investigative process which would rely on state records whilst being unable to avail of equivalent historical records from the terrorist groups responsible for 90% of Troubles related deaths.”

Mr Beattie added: “We also refuse to accept that the tens of thousands of people injured – the vast majority due to terrorist actions – are ignored by the SHA.”

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Also reacting to the report, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of the DUP said: “The Stormont House Agreement legacy proposals have failed to gain broad support in Northern Ireland and in particular they lack the support of many innocent victims. They are almost six years old.

“The most recent NIO consultation demonstrated that a fresh updated approach was needed.”

For our part any outcome must command broad support and in particular from those who are victims.”

Sir Jeffrey added: “For our part any outcome must command broad support and in particular from those who are victims. It is vital that justice and truth are not denied to those innocent victims and that there is no provision to re-write the history of the past.

“We will continue to engage on these complex and sensitive issues.“