In a statement on July 22, 2024, a spokesperson for Comhairle Uladh (Ulster Executive), Sinn Féin Poblachtach, said “The situation in the Occupied Six Counties regarding the British (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 is that it remains futile and a major cause of victim anxiety.

“The new British Labour government has merely committed to consulting and proposing something different but have not provided anything noteworthy. Anything that comes about will be debated in every British imperialist institution ruling the Occupied Six Counties, and that’s before any victim’s family catches sight.

“However, there is growing dissatisfaction since the hiring by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) of Peter Sheridan, former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) commander to oversee the investigation of historic cases of British State violence and collusion. The RUC/PSNI have been guilty of delays, obstruction and legal challenges with appeals cases brought by relatives, the majority of whom are nationalists, killed by Crown Forces. According to the Irish News, a recent recruitment drive by the (ICRIR) to hire four “intelligence officers” with knowledge of “Northern Ireland Terrorism” has been described as a “spookfest” by a relatives’ campaign group.

“Hilary Benn, the new British Secretary to the Occupied Six Counties, said he had no plans to scrap the ICRIR, but plans to reform how it works. He went on to say ‘This is something that I want to address so I can say to those families – what is it about the structure of the commission, the way it works, its governance, the role of the secretary of state that you are concerned about – what can we do to allay those fears? But in the end, you have to have a process that we all hope is going to work for the families.’

“Raymond McCord, victims’ rights campaigner, said he ‘had believed the act would be scrapped not tweaked.

“Sinn Féin Poblachtach will continue to show our solidarity with victims’ families’’.

PRO
Comhairle Uladh (Ulster Executive),
Sinn Féin Poblachtach
CRÍOCH/ENDS

Ranganna:[RSF News] Statements