Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has accused Brandon Lewis of being tone deaf to the voices of victims of the conflict following comments that he is “absolutely committed” to bringing forward his amnesty proposals.

Gerry Kelly said:

“Brandon Lewis needs to listen to the voices of victims and their families,  the political parties on this island, academics, Amnesty International and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović.

“There is no support for the British government’s amnesty proposals on the island of Ireland.  

“British state forces cannot be placed above the law and above the needs of victims.

“Victims of the conflict and their families cannot be denied access to the courts in pursuit of truth and justice. 

“The controversial amnesty proposals for state forces should be withdrawn.

“Sinn Féin will continue to press for the implementation of the Stormont House legacy mechanisms in a human rights compliant manner.”