Double standards at play over amnesties

THE Ulster Unionist Party is very clear that a statute of limitations cannot — and should not — lead to a general amnesty that would include terrorists. Any mechanism that does cannot be supported by the Ulster Unionist Party.

We need to be very careful that, in our desire to prevent former police officers and soldiers being the victims of a witch-hunt, we do not inadvertently open the door to an amnesty for the very terrorists they risked their lives to defeat.

Barra McGrory QC is the latest to raise issues with any form of proposed amnesty for security forces personnel serving in Northern Ireland.

Many have argued that a partial amnesty would be unlawful, or would have to be extended to apply to terrorists involved in murders and bombings throughout the Troubles, thereby constituting a blanket amnesty.

The public cannot be blamed for thinking that a measure of double standards are being deployed.

During the Blair Labour Government, more than 200 terrorists received royal pardons and so-called “letters of comfort”, which protected them from prosecution.

A notorious example was John Downey, who escaped prosecution for his alleged role in the Hyde Park bombing owing to a letter of comfort he received from the Government.

Whatever the merits of any form of amnesty, I find the double standards of senior Sinn Fein members, who have personally benefited from pardons, campaigning against any form of amnesty stomach-turning.

Gerry Kelly has been at the forefront of protests, yet he himself is the recipient of a pardon.

In Gerry Kelly’s world it is okay for him to receive a pardon but he is suddenly consumed with outrage at the thought of the same facility being provided for former service personnel.

So much for his commitment to equality of opportunity.

Unless, of course, he now proposes to repudiate his own pardon and follow the logic of his own position.

CLLR ALEXANDER REDPATH (UUP)

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council