From the Desk of:
Martin Galvin
National Freedom for All Ireland Chair
The Ancient Order of Hibernians in America
As the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill advances through Westminster, there are growing fears that demands for ‘special protections’ for former British Army troopers will bring amendments that deny justice for legacy victims murdered by British troopers. British veterans’ organizations, some retired British generals and the SAS Regimental Association want a special amnesty for their troopers, which would violate the European Convention on Human Rights and break with the Joint Legacy Framework agreement with the Irish government. Victims’ relatives Mark Kelly and Clare Brown Loughran will join legal expert Christopher Stanley, and Irish Dail representative Peadar Toibin TD to provide a crucial update in a live webinar broadcast, hosted by the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) this Saturday, December 6th, at 12 noon Eastern Time, 5 PM Irish time.
AMENDMENTS
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill introduced by British Secretary Hilary Benn, following the Joint Legacy Framework agreed last September by the British and Irish governments, marked a victory for victims’ relatives, who had defeated the Tory Legacy Act in the Court of Appeals and discredited the ICRIR Commission it set up, by refusing to participate. The Irish government was commended for taking Britain to the European Court and for getting Britain to agree terms that had the potential to give justice, after decades of bad faith and injustice.
However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer then announced there would be ‘special protections’ for former British troopers. Public appeals by former generals and veterans’ associations have been taken up by British MPs. Safeguards for British veterans, rather than concerns for Irish victims, have dominated the early parliamentary debates. A series of amendments has already been proposed that would not only revive the amnesty provisions of the Tory Legacy Act, struck down by the Courts, but also extend ‘special protections’ to former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Victims’ relatives are now concerned that ‘special protections’ for former British troopers may become a thinly disguised amnesty for troopers who committed murder, or a pretext to block genuine investigations because of prior participation in sham investigations.
Zoom Registration Link:
https://aoh.com/Register-SpecialProtections-vs-Justice
or
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89404364007?pwd=t6Aw7QWVH6NZjBxyQGWb7wzZUAmwhh.1
YouTube Live Link:
https://aoh.com/Watch-SpecialProtections-vs-Justice
or
Panelists:
Mark Kelly is the brother of Carol Ann Kelly, who in May 1981, at age 12, was murdered by a British trooper firing a plastic bullet. There has never been a genuine investigation into the murder. Neither he nor other eyewitnesses have ever been interviewed. A sham inquest rubberstamped fabricated claims of rioting given by British troopers to justify the murder of the young girl they shot as she returned home with a pint of milk.
Clare Brown Loughran’s, father Sean Brown, was abducted and murdered in May 1997 as he locked up the local Gaelic club. No one was ever convicted of this murder, in which multiple British agents participated. The Coroner closed their Inquest and ordered a public inquiry because the British blocked information about the role of British agents. The Belfast High Court and Court of Appeals upheld the Coroner’s ruling but British Secretary Hilary Benn has refused and is taking the Brown family to the London Supreme Court.
Legal expert Christopher Stanley will explain how ‘special protections’ for British veterans could bring more years of delays and disappointment to families who have waited decades for justice. He has been retained as legal advisor by Relatives for Justice.
Peadar Tobin has raised the issue of ‘special protections’ for British troopers in a series of formal questions in the Irish Parliament or Dail. He has been an elected Irish parliamentary representative to the Dail since 2011 and the leader of the Irish political party Aontu.
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About the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH)
Founded in 1836, the Ancient Order of Hibernians is the oldest and largest Irish Catholic organization in America. We promote Irish culture and history, defend the Irish and Catholic community, and work toward a free and united Ireland.
