Press Release: 2024-09-06
Neal Voices Support for Repealing Legacy Legislation in Letter to Prime Minister Starmer
Springfield, MA, September 4, 2024
Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal sent a letter to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, voicing his support for the Prime Minister Starmer’s commitment to revisiting and repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act of 2023.
The legislation, which became law in September 2023, halted all historical inquests into more than 1,000 unsolved killings that took place during the Troubles and transferred the cases to the newly established Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery. The law has also prevented new civil cases from being filed and offers conditional amnesty to those accused of killings during the Troubles. Prime Minister Starmer committed to repealing the Legacy Act during his first month in office.
“The importance of establishing an independent public inquiry cannot be understated. My colleagues and I in the United States Congress have long supported such an inquiry, as have other democratic governments around the world,” wrote Congressman Neal. “I believe the evidence is compelling and an investigation is the only way to deliver answers that families like the Finucane family deserve. The Good Friday Agreement, which the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States worked diligently to achieve, is underscored by the principles of truth and justice. Delivering on these principles for the victims of the Troubles is what will encourage those to look toward the future, not the past.”
The letter references the infamous case involving Patrick “Pat” Finucane, an Irish lawyer who was a staunch advocate for human rights cases involving the British government during the 1980s. Finucane was killed by loyalist paramilitaries from the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), who colluded with British security services.
“I have long followed the Pat Finucane case since his tragic murder in 1989 - my first year in Congress,” continued Congressman Neal. “Since then, I have remained in frequent contact with the Finucane family, supporting their continued advocacy in pursuit of truth and justice.”
Congressman Neal has served as C0-Chair of the Friends of Ireland Caucus since 2007. |