Northern Ireland Legacy Act: Human Rights Experts Warn of Reputational Damage and State Impunity
An international human rights panel has warned that Britain's reputation will be harmed by the Northern Ireland "legacy" act, which comes into force on Wednesday.
The act offers soldiers and paramilitaries limited immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related crimes if they cooperate with a new recovery body.
The panel calls for the government to scrap the amnesty legislation, arguing that it shelters individuals from accountability and undermines human rights.
A report by the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) panel is set to be published, and victims' families, including those of Stephen McConomy who died after being hit by a plastic bullet from a British soldier in 1982, have welcomed it.
The report accuses the British government of a "widespread and systemic" practice of shielding security forces from accountability during the Northern Ireland conflict.
The panel investigated allegations of state collusion and obstruction of police investigations into conflict-related killings to protect security force members and agents implicated in crimes.
The McConomy family, specifically Emmett McConomy (Stephen's brother), spoke out about a report that revealed the British government's policy of protecting soldiers involved in murders over the past 40 years.
The report details the injustices inflicted upon victims' families and the government's prioritization of shielding soldiers from accountability.