Ireland has announced its intention to mount a legal challenge against the United Kingdom over a new law granting some immunity from prosecution for offenses committed during three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin stated that the government is launching a legal challenge against the Legacy and Reconciliation Bill, passed in September, which critics argue restricts access to justice for victims and survivors of the Troubles.
The law prohibits most prosecutions for alleged killings by armed groups and British soldiers during the Troubles, a period of violence that spanned three decades and claimed over 3,500 lives. Numerous groups in Ireland, including victims’ families, human rights organizations, and major political parties, strongly oppose the legislation.
Martin highlighted that the UK had not adequately engaged with those affected by the law before its passage. The legal challenge will be brought to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, with Ireland arguing that aspects of the law are incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Both the United Nations and the Council of Europe have expressed support for Ireland’s position.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar acknowledged the regrettable nature of the legal challenge but emphasized the commitment to survivors and families of victims. The Troubles, a conflict over British rule in Northern Ireland, involved Irish nationalist armed groups seeking a united Ireland, pro-British “loyalist” paramilitaries, and the British military. The conflict concluded in 1998 through a peace deal.
About 1,200 deaths from that period are still under investigation by the UK government. Victims’ families have already contested the new law in Northern Ireland courts. Amnesty International Northern Ireland Deputy Director Grainne Teggart stressed the importance of Ireland’s pushback, considering the UK government’s pursuit of legislation shielding perpetrators of human rights violations. Teggart emphasized the significance of the challenge for victims facing the prospect of similar state-sanctioned impunity worldwide.