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

The umbrella group Innocent Victims United (IVU) has denounced the government’s de facto amnesty plan as just the latest in a 23-year-long assault on justice.
By Adam Kula
Published 15th Jul 2021, 08:00 BST
Firemen battling the La Mon inferno, which claimed 12 livesFiremen battling the La Mon inferno, which claimed 12 lives
Firemen battling the La Mon inferno, which claimed 12 lives

IVU is a collective of dozens of individual groups across the Province.

Kenny Donaldson, IVU’s spokesman, said last night: “Since 1998, the UK and Republic of Ireland states have been party to the subversion of the natural rule of law, whether overtly or covertly.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The Stormont House ‘Dis’-Agreement was a political process – never a victim/survivor focused process.”

He said that it “did not hold a prospect of delivering for innocent victims/survivors of terrorism”.

As the News Letter has reported the 2014 Stormont House deal gave investigators a mere five-year window (1,825 days) in which to clear a backlog of at least 1,700-or-so unsolved murders which had not already been handled by the Historical Enquiries Team.

Announcing the end of pre-1998 prosecutions yesterday, NI Secretary Brandon Lewis told the House of Commons that the PSNI is “currently considering almost 1,200 cases, which represents just a fraction of the 3,500 deaths” of the Troubles – not to mention the estimated “40,000 people injured”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

IVU added: “The PSNI’s Legacy Investigations Branch can and should be strengthened and resourced, with independent oversight incorporated and An Garda Siochana can and should establish a small but focused legacy team within the force ...

“It is not for the prime minister of the UK, the taoiseach or any other representative of government to arbitrarily close down justice because of vested interest, masquerading as concern for enabling Northern Ireland to move forward.

“For today’s politicians, the Troubles are ‘The Past’ ... for those who were directly impacted, the legacy of that terror and violence remains.”

More from this reporter:

CLICK HERE: Victim: If O’Neill opposes war, then Sinn Fein should condemn IRA terrorism

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

CLICK HERE: NI hate crime reviewer: People should not be free to abuse Islam and Christianity

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor