Letter: Ireland has questions to answer on the past so Dublin must not get away in the smoke when it comes to legacy measures

We at Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW), say proposed amendments to the legacy bill are ‘small-scale and insufficient’ to address deep-seated concerns over the new legislation. One of the main concerns centres on the failure of the government to get the Republic of Ireland government to agree similar institutions to address the past. A second concern voiced by UHRW during our meeting with NIO Minister of State Steve Baker MP was the need to review the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland, which has a backlog of more than 30 historical cases on its books. Objections to the operation of the proposed Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) were voiced by the Lurgan-based organisation. In particular, the halting of investigations and an end to criminal investigations and historic inquests from May next year would be ‘a shocking denial of justice’ for families of innocent victims. Civil actions have already been stopped.

In our productive meeting with Mr Baker we set out views and objections. Steps have been taken by the government to bolster and underpin the legislation but fundamental problems continue to make it flawed.

We remain unconvinced that what ministers are doing will deliver any of their objectives. Reconciliation will be unobtainable, beyond our reach. We will create a whole sub-set of victims who are cast adrift, denied closure or justice. When it comes to a balanced approach between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, there are glaring deficiencies. Dublin is getting away in the smoke. The Republic cannot wash its hands of any culpability for what happened during the ‘Troubles’. Terrorist atrocities in Northern Ireland were planned and carried out from its ‘safe haven’. Politicians need to focus on the responsibility of the Irish Republic.

At the very least, Institutions equivalent to those that exist or are being proposed to be established for addressing the legacy of the past in the United Kingdom should be implemented in the Republic of Ireland.

The UK government has so far not taken any steps to require the Republic of Ireland to take steps to establish legacy mechanisms, and that is a great shame. If the Republic is not willing to set up satisfactory mechanisms, then Westminster should at the very least set up a statutory body to examine the role of the Irish Republic in the Troubles. Despite late amendments, there are many other deficiencies and shortcomings in the proposed legislation and Ulster Human Rights Watch will continue to press for meaningful changes on behalf of victims of terrorism, who must be at the centre of this whole process.

Axel Schmidt, Ulster Human Rights Watch, Lurgan