Ireland urges UK not to block ‘Troubles’ prosecutions

Irish government ‘deeply alarmed’ over reports London is preparing to bar Troubles-era prosecutions for crimes committed during decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The Irish government has said it is “deeply alarmed” by reported plans by the United Kingdom to unilaterally end historic prosecutions for crimes committed during a bloody, decades-long sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported late on Wednesday that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is set to introduce legislation next week barring the prosecution of UK veterans who served in the province amid The Troubles, which were ended by a landmark 1998 peace agreement. It will reportedly apply to paramilitaries, as well as UK troops, and prevent any individual being charged over incidents that occurred in Northern Ireland prior to the Good Friday Agreement being signed, except in cases involving war crimes, genocide or torture.