NI Conservatives’ co-chair, Trevor Ringland, has said that “the conditions are not yet right and they may never be right” for a suspension to Troubles related prosecutions and inquiries, as suggested by the Attorney General, John Larkin.
“The Attorney General has highlighted a genuine choice, which society in Northern Ireland does face”, Trevor observed. “Do we deal with the past through the legal system, as thoroughly as possible, regardless of any consequences, or do we try to address the hurt of victims through other methods, which might involve suspending investigations and inquiries into certain offences?”
“I don’t think that John Larkin’s idea should be dismissed completely, but it can’t be isolated from other issues around the past and also the future of Northern Ireland. We can’t simply ‘draw a line’ under these crimes, as he suggests, at a time when many of the groups which were linked to violence or apologised for it, are actively celebrating some of the darkest, most murderous acts of the Troubles. That would send out a dangerous message.”
“NI Conservatives have argued that a ‘statement of wrongs’ should be drafted, acknowledging that anyone who acted outside the law during the Troubles was wrong and that their actions were unjustified, whether they were republican, loyalist or a member of the armed forces. That principle needs to be accepted by all the political parties, alongside a genuine commitment to building a shared society, if the hurt of genuine victims is ever to be addressed.”
“We can only build a stable, shared future, if, as a society, we understand the mistakes of the past and refuse to glorify people or organisations who caused misery and mayhem. That’s also the only basis upon which any kind of legal suspension can be contemplated.”