Gerry Adams accuses Irish government of colluding with Great Britain as he lashes out on move to block compensation
Gerry Adams has accused the Irish government of colluding with Great Britain, as he lashed out on moves to block compensation he could receive for being interned in the 1970s.
The Troubles legacy bill introduced in Westminster today includes measures to block payouts to internees like the former Sinn Fein president, whose detention without trial during the conflict has since been ruled to have been unlawful.
It also means inquests and trials halted by previous legislation can go ahead, while the Irish parliament intends to bring legislation that will ensure the state’s “fullest possible” cooperation with a new truth and investigations body.
The bill’s measures were this evening attacked by Mr Adams, who accused Westminster of “hypocrisy and duplicity” by ending internment compensation – and said it was “disgraceful” for Dublin to “collude” in it.
“Today, at the stroke of a pen what was illegal five decades ago has been made legal as the British state changes the rules to suit its own agenda and protect its own military personnel,” he said, in a statement issued by Sinn Fein.
“That an Irish government would collude in this is disgraceful.”
Alleging that British security forces had colluded in Troubles bombings, he added: “The Irish government has now signed up to new laws that will protect those British soldiers involved in these and other attacks.
“The British want to close the door on their past actions. Like many others I will be speaking to my legal team in the next few days to examine what options here and within Europe are open to us.”
The joint UK-Irish framework unveiled today includes commitments to significantly restructure an investigative and truth recovery body, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information. It will be renamed the Legacy Commission.
It will also lift a prohibition on Troubles-related civil cases in UK courts and inquests on conflict-linked deaths. Nine inquests that were part heard will resume.
The draft legislation also contains measures designed in response to concerns raised by military veterans about previous legacy processes. These protections, which are not part of the joint framework, include provisions for witnesses to give evidence remotely without travelling to Northern Ireland.
The bill has been criticised by unionists, however, who feel the Irish government has been given too much power over the UK’s actions.