Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon has said comments by a leading EU Commissioner further highlights the distress that the flawed British government legacy bill is having on victims and families and reiterated calls for the plan to be scrapped.

The Mid Ulster MLA said:

“Speaking after a visit to Britain and the north, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović raised serious concerns about the British government’s flawed legacy bill and the deep distress to victims and families who have rejected these plans.

“She has also addressed concerns over the legislation’s compatibility with European Commission for Human Rights (ECHR) standards on independent and effective investigations.

“The fact that the British government is fast-tracking this plan through Westminster and ignoring the voices of victims and families, all political parties and the Human Rights Commission who have branded this legislation flawed, demonstrates their arrogance. 

“The Commissioner’s visit has called into question the Tories’ whole approach to human rights in general through its intent to scrap the Human Rights Act and the damaging impact that will have through loss of access to European courts.  

“Victims and families have campaigned for decades for access to truth and justice, and many have turned to the EU courts who have made key judgements in legacy cases.

“It’s time for Boris Johnson to listen to the voices of the international community, victims and families, human rights experts and parties who are calling for this flawed legacy legislation to be scrapped now.

“End the cycle of making agreements and then breaking them by implementing the 2014 Stormont House Agreement which has the backing of victims and families and is the best way of accessing truth and justice in a human rights compliant manner.”