Letter: Birmingham pub bombings decision is yet another example of state's failure to hold terrorists to account

Twenty-one civilians perished in an act of mass murder with almost 200 injured, many severely so.

Since the Belfast Agreement was signed not a single member of the provisional republican movement has been successfully convicted of a pre-1998 offence, those within Irish republicanism who have been convicted are all offside with the provo strategy.

The “Legacy and Reconciliation Bill” before Parliament would confirm the realities of what has been experienced for a quarter of a century - the lack of will to hold accountable perpetrators for their crimes.

We have been quite clear that we do not want tokenistic justice left on the table without a will to proactively seek it - that would be a continuation of psychological torture for those impacted.

We continue to argue for justice to be real and to be lived and for those charged with pursuing it, and delivering it to do so, free from political manipulation and interference.

For any state to abandon the fundamental rule of law and due process in exchange for a pipedream of positive engagement from perpetrators is at best naive and at worst, contemptuous.

What message has been sent to the countless individuals within our society who had every human reason and rationale to become embittered, to seek revenge, and to bring to another's door that which was brought to theirs? Instead of further hurting such individuals and dismissing their courage and restraint, the state should be holding them up as exemplars, as the true heroes and martyrs of this sordid period of our history and continued present.

Our support remains with the Birmingham pub bombing families and all others who have been the innocents of terrorism and other Troubles-related violence who dared to expect better from our state.

Kenny Donaldson

SEFF director, south Fermanagh