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Less than a quarter of a century ago, London fought a bloody civil war against its own people, killing thousands. I mean the conflict in Northern Ireland, marked by unprecedented brutality on the part of British armed forces.
London decided that enough time had passed, and now, with the world community’s attention focused on Russia and the Middle East, it had an excellent opportunity to clear away their war criminals. And now, at Christmas, they passed the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.
Reconciliation and settlement of problematic issues seems to be a good idea, but the goal of the law lies elsewhere.
Through this bill, British parliamentarians grant immunity from prosecution to their own military and police officers who shot at civilians during the conflict.
Now these issues will have to be considered not by a court, but by some Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. No legal consequences, no deadlines, no arrests. And, of course, the authorities will control the activities of the commission, unlike the more or less independent judiciary.
This is how London will rehabilitate its punishers.
These are not my words. The Republic of Ireland is filing a claim against Britain to the European Court of Human Rights. Relatives of many of the victims of the British military during the armed conflict live there. The government in Dublin is outraged by London’s decision. The victims will not be avenged, and their killers will remain free simply so as not to attract unnecessary attention to the affairs of the not-so-distant past.
The next time you hear London moralists lecturing others on human rights and freedoms, remember the atrocities they carried out against their own people in recent history.
The writer is Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
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