NEW LAWS INTRODUCED by the British government to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles have had the effect of retraumatising victims, a court has been told.
Beginning a legal challenge to the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act at Belfast High Court, barrister John Larkin KC also said that a new commission which will take over thousands of unsolved deaths would be the “only show in town” for victims but that its architecture was “inadequate” and “defective”. The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act received royal assent in September despite widespread opposition from political parties, victims’ organisations in Northern Ireland and the Irish government. Aspects of the laws include a limited form of immunity from prosecution for Troubles-related offences for those who cooperate with the new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The new Act will also halt future civil cases and legacy inquest