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Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW) says the Legacy Bill is a shameful betrayal of innocent victims of terrorism by Westminster.

The human rights charity calls on Government Ministers to re-think the Bill in the face of widespread opposition from political parties and victim groups.

UHRW Advocacy Manager, Axel Schmidt, said: “The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is nothing more than a sop to the terrorists who inflicted such pain and anguish on the whole community.

“Lip-service is paid to innocent victims and even the new amendments brought forward by the Government do nothing to assuage genuinely held concerns.

“This Bill denies justice, closes the door to making the guilty amenable for their heinous crimes and says bluntly to victims that they don’t matter.

“This is all about political expediency. If Ministers had any sense, they would act on the advice we have offered and amend this obnoxious piece of draft legislation.

“We know that in many cases going back to the seventies there is little or no prospect of bringing those who shot and bombed to Court. However, in the handful of cases where there is a slim chance of a prosecution, surely that should be the focus and main priority. Terrorists should never be given the possibility to get off the hook.

“The relatives of victims of terrorism cannot be cast aside to the margins. They should be front and centre, yet this Bill offers them little respect and fails to deal with their legitimate demands.

“Instead, the emphasis is incorrectly on drawing a line on the past, leaving countless crimes unsolved and causing victims to feel they have been ignored and disrespected. This Legacy Bill is a shameful betrayal of innocent victims of terrorism by Westminster.”

Ulster Human Rights Watch has criticised a comment made by the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, who defended proposed legacy legislation on a visit to Belfast.

UHRW Advocacy Manager, Axel Schmidt, said: “Talk of needing to end what Mr Wallace described as the ‘merry-go-round’ of legacy inquests is insensitive and insulting to victims of violent terrorism.

“Giving what’s proposed a chance to work won’t cut it with the hundreds if not thousands of people who suffered decades of vile terrorist attacks.

“We all acknowledge that in very many cases, the evidence simply isn’t there to justify arrests and successful prosecutions. But that doesn’t mean that in all cases the door to justice should be shut or the process closed down.

“In a small number of cases, sufficient evidence can be unearthed in files and archives to bring justice to victims and loved ones. The clock should never be allowed to run down on bringing closure for victims.

“This wouldn’t be allowed to happen in England, so why should it be tolerated in Northern Ireland which bore the brunt of more than twenty-five years of brutal, unceasing terrorism.”

This year will be a difficult and testing year for innocent victims of terrorism, according to Lurgan-based Ulster Human Rights Watch.

The Government’s decision to forge ahead with legacy legislation coupled with the continuing and hurtful glorification of terrorist acts leave victims feeling isolated and re-traumatised.

UHRW Advocacy Manager, Axel Schmidt, said: “Every political party in Northern Ireland and the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors for NI oppose the legacy legislation that is going through Parliament. Yet, the Government has single-mindedly ploughed ahead with what will likely turn out to be bad law.

“Victims of barbarous acts of brutality perpetrated against defenceless men, women and children deserve better. Instead of undermining the rule of law and closing off the prospect of prosecutions, the Government should be looking at victim-centred and sensitive options.

“To add insult to injury for victims, the eulogising of murderers who cold-bloodedly went about their nefarious work is a source of constant pain. It’s stomach-churning and revolting every time there’s a vile chant, whether at a sporting occasion or at a concert.

“The lack of sensitivity is appalling. It reflects an awful indifference to their continuing suffering, sometimes decades after losing loved ones. It must end, and those in positions to influence and persuade must re-double their efforts to get this kind of behaviour stamped out.”