An amnesty for Northern Irish killers is supposed to draw a line under the Troubles
But victims’ families say that reconciliation relies on a continued search for truth
THE THREE decades of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles saw 3,500 killings, many never punished. Since the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) of 1998 brought that dark period to an end, those who had evaded justice have had little reason to fear it would catch up with them. Soon they will have none. On July 14th the British government announced a bar on new prosecutions, even if new evidence should emerge.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Closure denied”
Britain July 17th 2021
- England is building more homes than it has for many years
- Opponents of housebuilding claim to care more about the environment than prices
- Britain is no longer a leader in international giving
- Achieving net-zero carbon emissions will be eye-wateringly expensive
- An amnesty for Northern Irish killers is supposed to draw a line under the Troubles
- The shortage of HGV drivers in Britain is getting worse
- Liverpool’s changing skyline defies UNESCO
From the July 17th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Britain
The harmony between Labour and Britain’s trade unions
They agree on the labour market above all
Britain’s submarines are at sea for too long—or not at all
No sunlight or fresh food for months
What’s next for Britain and the EU?
Brexit’s economic toll is now clear. But the path forward is murky
Britain’s ban on arms sales to Israel mixes politics and legalism
The government has outlined grounds for concern but not a coherent rationale
Britain and the EU find it easier to talk about guns than butter
But closer ties in foreign and security policy are still not easy to forge