Justice minister: Idea Troubles perpetrators will become contrite ‘is for the birds’

Naomi Long, the justice minister, has said that the Tories’ planned Troubles amnesty is unlikely to lead to truth and contrition.
By Adam Kula
Published 21st Jul 2021, 11:36 BST
Central Belfast, May 20, 1993: A massive car bomb detonates, wrecking the Opera House on Great Victoria Street - at the same time the IRA was seeking meetings with UK officialsCentral Belfast, May 20, 1993: A massive car bomb detonates, wrecking the Opera House on Great Victoria Street - at the same time the IRA was seeking meetings with UK officials
Central Belfast, May 20, 1993: A massive car bomb detonates, wrecking the Opera House on Great Victoria Street - at the same time the IRA was seeking meetings with UK officials

Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, said: “The idea for example that, free of prosecution, those who committed some of the worst atrocities in our past will hae a sudden change of heart and come forward to share what they did, to show contrition, or to apologise to the bereaved, is quite frankly for the birds.

“Far more likely, based on current experience, is that perpetrators will be emboldened to speak freely of what they did, and continue to build the mythology that surrounds so much of the brutality and cruelty of our past – safe in the knowledge that they will never be held accountable in this life.

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“And all the while the bereaved will be forced to watch on, powerless.

“A complete travesty.

“And what of those engaged in terrorism still?

“What kind of message does this send to them and to their victims in the here and now, about the commitment of government to pursuing justice in their cases?”

Click here: Church takes a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to Troubles amnesty

Click here: Umbrella terror victims’ group: Concern for victims is a masquerade

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