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16/07/2021
SDLP Leader Speaks Out Against Legacy Amnesty In House Of Commons
SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood MP has reiterated his party's strong opposition to an amnesty for those involved in serious crimes during the troubles.
Speaking from the House of Commons, Colum Eastwood MP said: "The British Government's approach to dealing with the legacy of the past is a serious act of bad faith that will breach obligations undertaken in successive all-party agreements and the international treaty signed at Stormont House.
"Boris Johnson and Brandon Lewis have chosen to close down justice for families who have campaigned for the truth about what happened to their loved ones for decades. Even worse, they wrapped it up in the language of reconciliation. The message that they are sending to the victims of state and paramilitary murderers is that they should give up their campaign for truth because they have become a barrier to reconciliation. It is absolutely perverse.
"You cannot draw a line in the sand on injustice. There is a reason that every party in the North opposes the concept of an amnesty - if we have learned nothing else, we've learned that failing to deal with the legacy of the past affects and infects the present. It creates a trans-generational injustice that makes reconciliation more difficult.
"The SDLP has a strong record of opposition to amnesty for those who committed horrific crimes in our past. We will continue to oppose these plans."
Speaking from the House of Commons, Colum Eastwood MP said: "The British Government's approach to dealing with the legacy of the past is a serious act of bad faith that will breach obligations undertaken in successive all-party agreements and the international treaty signed at Stormont House.
"Boris Johnson and Brandon Lewis have chosen to close down justice for families who have campaigned for the truth about what happened to their loved ones for decades. Even worse, they wrapped it up in the language of reconciliation. The message that they are sending to the victims of state and paramilitary murderers is that they should give up their campaign for truth because they have become a barrier to reconciliation. It is absolutely perverse.
"You cannot draw a line in the sand on injustice. There is a reason that every party in the North opposes the concept of an amnesty - if we have learned nothing else, we've learned that failing to deal with the legacy of the past affects and infects the present. It creates a trans-generational injustice that makes reconciliation more difficult.
"The SDLP has a strong record of opposition to amnesty for those who committed horrific crimes in our past. We will continue to oppose these plans."
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