Petition calling for military veterans of the Troubles to be protected from prosecution gets 30,000 signatures in three days

If it reaches 100,000, then that triggers a debate on it in parliament.

The Veterans' Commissioner is among those encouraging the public to sign it.

It was started by former soldier Ian Robert Liles, and reads: "We think that the Government should not make any changes to legislation that would allow Northern Ireland veterans to be prosecuted for doing their duty in combating terrorism as part of 'Operation Banner' (1969-2007)."

At time of writing at 5pm on Monday, it had 28,349 signatures.

Commissioner David Johnstone told the News Letter that “it’s important people who are exercised by this use these means to highlight the issue of legacy and the demonisation and ongoing targeting of those that served by the republican movement”.

He added: “Anything that puts a spotlight on this injustice I think is important… terrorists were let out of jail. Terrorists had their record reduced effectively to two years. Terrorists were given on-the-run [letters] and royal pardons.

"And yet here we are 27 years on trying to put soldiers in the dock. It’s immoral.”

He said the re-instating the process of inquests into Troubles deaths would mean the actions of scores of formers soldiers would be put under scrutiny, with the likely result that files would be sent to the PPS to consider prosecuting them.

It comes after the commissioner and other witnesses appeared in front of the NI Affairs Committee of the House of Commons last week to give evidence on the treatment of veterans.

The commissioner (a former Royal Irish Regiment officer who took up the post in January) had told MPs there is a "poignant" comparison between the recent praise heaped on WWII veterans for VE Day's 80th anniversary and "how veterans in Northern Ireland are treated".

"I think there's a huge contrast there, and a stark, marked difference" he said.

He recalled the case of Dennis Hutchings who died in 2021 while being prosecuted over the fatal shooting of an unarmed Catholic man with learning difficulties.

"I think there's something fundamentally flawed in terms of how we've approached legacy," said Mr Johnstone.

"I think there is a feeling that, irrespective of the views of veterans, the government has a line of trajectory that it's going down…

"I'm pretty confident the vast, vast majority of veterans in Northern Ireland would be totally opposed to the re-introduction of [Troubles] inquests.

"I do think what's very, very important for the committee to understand is that the reason for the opposition is not based around any fear of past actions. It's not based on any fear of justice, or the natural pursuit of justice where rules of engagement have been broken.

"The issue is around the fundamental unfairness of the inquest process. And that is absolutely key.

"If I can give one very quick tangible example: the Secretary of State recently met the sister of Patrick Kelly, who was the OC of the East Tyrone Brigade of the IRA.

"And the press reports indicted that the Secretarty of State assured Patrick Kelly's sister that there would be an inquest into Loughgall, where Patrick Kelly lost his life as he committed [an act] of terrorism…

"When it comes to the activities of the East Tyrone Brigade, where are the inquests into that?"

He added: "There's around 33 inquests that will reopen if the current government policy plays out. Of that, only two are for republican actions. And the rest are either state forces – around about 17, where a member of the security forces pulled a trigger in an incident - and the rest are by loyalists."