07/04/2014
Peter Hain Calls For End Of NI Troubles' Prosecutions
Former NI Secretary Peter Hain has said there should be an end to prosecutions over Northern Ireland's Troubles.
If this is the case, it would mean no one would be prosecuted for the 3,000 unsolved murders in the region.
In an interview with The Times, Hain said he knows his idea would make victims and survivors "desperately angry", but said it was necessary in order to stop NI being "stalked" by its past.
Mr Hain was speaking ahead of Ireland's important state visit to London which starts on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister David Cameron is quoted as saying: "The prime minister does not support the idea of amnesties."
The Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement of 1998 meant anyone convicted of paramilitary crimes was eligible for early release from prison, but this didn't cover those suspected of such crimes. It also didn't cover people who had been charged or convicted but who had escaped from jail.
(CVS/JP)
If this is the case, it would mean no one would be prosecuted for the 3,000 unsolved murders in the region.
In an interview with The Times, Hain said he knows his idea would make victims and survivors "desperately angry", but said it was necessary in order to stop NI being "stalked" by its past.
Mr Hain was speaking ahead of Ireland's important state visit to London which starts on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister David Cameron is quoted as saying: "The prime minister does not support the idea of amnesties."
The Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement of 1998 meant anyone convicted of paramilitary crimes was eligible for early release from prison, but this didn't cover those suspected of such crimes. It also didn't cover people who had been charged or convicted but who had escaped from jail.
(CVS/JP)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
