No automatic amnesty: Troubles legacy body

People guilty of crimes linked to the Troubles will not be handed an automatic amnesty in any reconciliation process, a group dealing with the legacy of violence said today.

But Denis Bradley, who chairs the Consultative Group on the Past with Robin Eames, warned that Northern Ireland society must face up to its history if it is to move on.

He said his group will publish its proposals on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles early in the new year, but he warned that everyone must help heal the wounds of what remained a sectarian society.

It has been claimed the group’s recommendations will include a five-year commission offering bereaved relatives the option of pursuing convictions in outstanding cases, or seeking information on how their loved ones died.

Mr Bradley said the speculation was unhelpful and covered only one aspect of his group’s work.

“People have said to us – why not just stop everything that is going on - characterised in the phrase ’draw a line in the sand’,” he said.

“I’m not sure they understand the magnitude of that statement.

“Does this mean no more prosecutions? Well that would mean introducing a general amnesty.

“Let me state in the clearest terms possible...There will be no amnesty recommended in our report.”

He added: “Some people want the prosecution route to remain open even if the chances of further prosecutions succeeding are much reduced.

“Equally many families want to get as much information as possible, on the circumstances of the death of their loved one, then they should be given that choice.

“Getting justice and finding the truth are going to be tremendously difficult.”

It has been speculated a commission would have contacts with all groups involved in the conflict, including paramilitaries, who would provide information on cases, but without the risk of it being used as evidence.

It is claimed that the work would go on behind closed doors – unlike the public truth commission hearings in South Africa – but that families would be presented with a final report.

Mr Bradley did not comment directly on the detail of the claims, but he warned that society as a whole had to play a part in dealing with the past.

He accepted that critics had claimed too much money had already been spent on dealing with old cases, but called on people to take the long view.

“The real costs to our society and for future generations could be far more damaging than a purely financial burden,” he said.

Mr Bradley was addressing a conference on dealing with the legacy of the Troubles held at Queen’s University Belfast.

He told the audience, which included medical and counselling staff who work with victims of the Troubles, that they dealt with the awful legacy of violence.

But he said some people outside the victims’ sector hoped the issue would simply go away.

But he warned: “Only with a collective response can we hope to build a shared and reconciled future in which we do not create a new generation of victims.”

He said the possibility of reconciliation was dismissed by some quarters.

“But if dealing with the past has not got reconciliation as its ultimate goal then what is the point,” he said.

“The truth is that we live in a sectarian, segregated and separated society - it has often been said that more walls have been built to keep communities apart since the ceasefires than during the conflict.

“The cancer of sectarianism has eaten its way into many areas of life in Northern Ireland. We have segregated housing, schooling and leisure facilities.

“This segregation keeps the old suspicions and hatreds alive and must be challenged by everyone. Every year sectarianism and segregation costs over £1bn (€1.22bn).”

He added: “What has been achieved is the absence of violence.

“But as long as the hatred, suspicions and a desire for revenge remains, then the possibility of the return of violence looms over this society.

“We have made huge progress but the peace has not yet been won. If it is lost we could all pay a heavy price.”