Ireland to launch legal action against UK government over Troubles Amnesty Bill

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The Irish government announced on Wednesday that it would take legal action against British authorities over a controversial law that grants some immunity from prosecution for offenses committed during three decades of sectarian violence.

< p>Irish Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin said that "after careful consideration and consideration", his government is launching legal action against the bill on Legacy and Reconciliation, which critics say blocks access to justice for victims and survivors.

The law, passed in September, ends most prosecutions for alleged killings by militant groups and British soldiers during the “Troubles” – the three decades of violence in which more than 3,500 people died.

Those who cooperate with the new independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery – loosely modeled on South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission – can benefit from immunity from prosecution. The new law also ends future civil cases and inheritance inquiries.

It was passed despite strong opposition from political parties and victims' organizations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government.

The Good Law of 1998 Friday's peace deal largely ended decades of violence, and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who proposed the new bill, said that it would allow Northern Ireland to “draw a line under the Troubles”.

But those who loved ones lost to Irish Republican and British Loyalist militias and British troops say the new The law will erase the past and allow killers to get away with impunity.

Martin said his case would demonstrate that certain aspects of the law are incompatible with the UK's obligations under of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Irish government has repeatedly raised concerns and urged the UK government to suspend implementation of the legislation, he said.

"I regret that we find ourselves in a situation where such a choice had to be made," he said, adding that the immunity provisions would "close existing avenues to the truth and justice for historical cases".

“Even in cases where immunity is not granted, reviews by the proposed body, the Independent Information Reconciliation and Recovery Commission, are not an adequate substitute police investigations, carried out independently, adequately and with sufficient involvement of next of kin," Martin said.

UK veterans groups are among the few organizations to have welcomed the law...