Several prominent human rights and campaign groups have called for a controversial British government body set up to investigate the past to be “scrapped”.
The comments came after several groups met with Irish government representatives in Belfast earlier this week.
The meeting included representatives of Amnesty International, the Committee on the Administration of Justice, Pat Finucane Centre, Rights and Security International and Relatives for Justice.
Afterwards the groups voiced fresh concern over the role of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
The contentious body was established under the Conservative Party’s Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, which ended all inquests and civil cases, as well as introducing conditional immunity
Many victims, and relatives of those who died during the Troubles, are strongly opposed to the ICRIR, believing it to be part of British government attempts to protect state participants from accountability.
Earlier this week the ICRIR said it has received just eight “requests for investigation” in its first four months of operation.
In a statement the groups described the meeting with the Irish government as “productive and encouraging”.
“We reiterate our joint opposition to the ICRIR, which must be scrapped,” the groups said in a joint statement.
They added that there needs to be a return to legacy plans that formed part of the 2014 Stormont House Agreement.
“Only a fully human rights (European Convention on Human Rights) compliant process such as Stormont House plus can satisfy the legal requirements of the UK to uphold the rights of families to effective remedy,” they said.
The ICRIR said: “Victims, survivors and families have come to the commission, and more continue to do so, looking for answers about what happened to their loved ones or to them.
“We have a job to do now for those people who have placed their trust in us to find the answers they need.”
