“Why am I still being investigated after all these years?"

[barryqwalsh]

Drawing a Line Under the Troubles

“Why am I still being investigated after all these years? I feel betrayed. The IRA gets an amnesty and I could be gaoled for life.” Those are the words of a former member of the Parachute Regiment who faces prosecution for events arising out of 'Bloody Sunday' in 1972 - not the deaths of IRA gunmen but injuries to civilians caused by ricochets. Another former soldier adds: "You can’t drag cases like this through the courts 40 years later. There should be a statute of limitations.”


The British Government has decided to try and draw a line under the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland with a plan that includes military veterans facing possible prosecution for events that took place decades ago. These ex-soldiers see themselves as victims of a witch hunt. They demand that no prosecution could be launched once a specific number of years (probably ten) had passed after the event. Many veterans would accept this being extended to members of the IRA too.


There is profound political disagreement about this, however. In a private letter to the Prime Minister, the Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, has expressed his support for the idea, arguing that "our veterans need the protection of a statute of limitations in respect of Troubles-related offences. If this means a wider amnesty, so be it…” Theresa May disagreed: “We cannot countenance a proposal where amnesties would be provided for terrorists.”


But no less important are the stories of the victims. In a number of cases, their families seek an apology from the government. Their emotions are visceral too. In a thought-provoking programme, Peter Taylor explores the political, legal and moral questions over attempts to achieve justice in Northern Ireland many years after the original events and where these may be leading.



Release date: 11 December 2018
37 minutes

This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Audio
BBC Radio 4 - Drawing a Line Under the Troubles

 

[Borillar]

Heh, Thought it was going to be another Hillary thread.

 

[anotherlife]

These English parachute soldiers also went around and cut girls' boobs off in Ireland at that time. I would say there is enough public outrage in Ireland to prosecute them for minimum 200 years.

 

[justinacolmena]

When I was a child, my grandparents and many others of their generation spoke Finnish. I remember being in grade school in an area where many Finns had settled. Some of the older folks (teachers) were speaking in hushed tones in Finnish about hallitus, and I asked them what they meant by this. They told me that someone was walking in the hall somewhere, and they were very worried.

Now I spoke with one of my schoolmates, and I told him, "They were talking about hallitus, and they told me someone was walking in the hall."

Immediately that little boy piped up, where we had found a place of privacy away from the adults, and replied to me, "That's the government!" He was as dismayed as I was that the teachers were not coming clean with the complete truth, and we dared not let on for anyone that we could understand even a word of Finnish.

 

[anotherlife]

When I was a child, my grandparents and many others of their generation spoke Finnish. I remember being in grade school in an area where many Finns had settled. Some of the older folks (teachers) were speaking in hushed tones in Finnish about hallitus, and I asked them what they meant by this. They told me that someone was walking in the hall somewhere, and they were very worried.

Now I spoke with one of my schoolmates, and I told him, "They were talking about hallitus, and they told me someone was walking in the hall."

Immediately that little boy piped up, where we had found a place of privacy away from the adults, and replied to me, "That's the government!" He was as dismayed as I was that the teachers were not coming clean with the complete truth, and we dared not let on for anyone that we could understand even a word of Finnish.

Shows how ultra nationalistic even Soviet internationalism was. Hehe.

 

[whitehall]

British justice? Who knows (or cares)? Why is this in the military forum?

 

[Daryl Hunt]

British justice? Who knows (or cares)? Why is this in the military forum?

Many Brits still think of us as Colonials. We need to break it to them that they lost and we won and anything that is posted about Brit Justice or Government in Military section should be moved to the conspiracy theory areas.

 

[justinacolmena]

British justice? Who knows (or cares)? Why is this in the military forum?

Many Brits still think of us as Colonials. We need to break it to them that they lost and we won and anything that is posted about Brit Justice or Government in Military section should be moved to the conspiracy theory areas.

There is a definite lean toward German and pan-European imperialism, mercantilism, and industrialism. A strong faction of Brits really are tempted with grand ideas to bring back the old British colonialism and trade protectionism, and there is apparently a place for the British with their naval blockades and embargoes at the German table. Obviously the Germans have not acknowledged Brexit as they were forced to in WWII, because no one is mentioning "continental Europe" these days -- the term is simply unspeakable.