Legacy bill means “a generational trauma will remain unresolved.”

Posted By: September 09, 2023

Raymond McCord, Sr., and Fr. Sean McManus. 2009.

IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING

Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus

“Again, Mc Cord leads the way. Now the Irish Government

should follow his lead and bring the British Government to

the European Court of Human Rights.”—Fr. Sean McManus.

“Now the legislation is moving out of the political process and is set to land in the courts. Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond Jr was murdered by the UVF in 1997, has already begun a case.”—BBC.

Legacy bill means “a generational trauma will remain unresolved.”

EXCERPT. BBC NI. Belfast. Saturday, September 9, 2023

Chris Page. BBC.

Now the legislation is moving out of the political process and is set to land in the courts.

Victims’ relatives are preparing legal challenges against the plans.

Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond, Jr. was murdered by the UVF in 1997, has already begun a case.

He said: “There is a long way to go yet but I believe this is how we defeat this bill.”

Some campaigners – including the family of Gerard and Rory Cairns – want the Irish government to take a case against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights.

The Irish Prime Minister, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, has underlined that he firmly disagrees with London’s plans, and his most senior legal advisor is considering whether an “inter-state” challenge should be launched.

Any case would test if the legislation is in line with the state’s duty to protect the right to life.

This is the focus of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, of which the UK is a signatory.

Lord Caine said the British government was “confident” the legislation was compatible with the convention.

He said he would amend the bill to ensure the ICRIR, which is due to begin work fully next May, would have to act in accordance with human rights law.

The question of how killings from the Troubles should be investigated has always been one of the most emotive and difficult issues in Northern Ireland.

In the coming months, it could attract more global attention than ever.