PRESS RELEASE : British government should withdraw Legacy Bill – Gerry Kelly [December 2022]

The press release issued by Sinn Fein on 9 December 2022.

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has welcomed a call from the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights for the British government to ‘consider withdrawing’ their Legacy Bill.

The North Belfast MLA said:

“I welcome a call from Commissioner Dunja Mijatović, for the British government to ‘consider withdrawing’ their Legacy Bill and return to ‘previously agreed principles’ which provide the basis for a human rights compliant approach.

“She has also made it clear that any steps to address the legacy of the past must put the rights and needs of victims at its heart.

“The Commissioner said the Legacy Bill ‘raises a number of serious issues of compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly relating to the closure of avenues for victims to seek truth and justice.

Gerry Kelly added:

“The British government’s cruel, callous, and offensive Legacy Bill seeks to give an amnesty to British soldiers who killed Irish civilians and shut down victims’ and families’ access to the courts in an effort to achieve truth and justice.

“The British Government should stop treating victims and their families with contempt and implement the legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House in a human rights compliant manner.”