Dealing with the Past? an Overview of Legal and Political Approaches Relating to the Conflict in and About Northern Ireland
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Dealing with the Past? An Overview of Legal and Political Approaches Relating to the Conflict in and about Northern Ireland Healing Through Remembering Dealing with the Past? | An Overview Dealing with the Past? | An Overview Dealing with the Past? An Overview of Legal and Political Approaches Relating to the Conflict in and about Northern Ireland Healing Through Remembering i Dealing with the Past? | An Overview Produced and published by Healing Through Remembering Written by Kieran McEvoy November 2013 ISBN 1-905882-26-2 (10 digit) ISBN 978-1-905882-26-7 (13 digit) The views expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect the personal views of all members of Healing Through Remembering Can be ordered directly from Healing Through Remembering Alexander House, 17a Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2 8HD Tel: +44 28 9023 8844 Email: [email protected] www.healingthroughremembering.org A project supported by the PEACE III Programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the Community Relations Council/Pobal Consortium. ii Dealing with the Past? | An Overview Foreword This report focuses largely upon the “top down” approaches to dealing with the past relating to the conflict in and about Northern Ireland. In discussing the range of key legal, statutory and political initiatives which have shaped the debate locally, Healing Through Remembering (HTR) is of course aware that there have been a wide range of civic, community-based or “bottom-up” processes some of which we have detailed in previous publications including the HTR 2006 report Making Peace with the Past. To capture fully the rich variety of community “bottom up” approaches in the areas of commemoration, living memorial museum, storytelling, truth recovery, acknowledgement, apology and reflection would have doubled what is already a lengthy report and we have therefore taken the decision to focus only on the key ‘top down’ initiatives. This report is intended as a resource to inform the debate on dealing with the past. It assumes some basic knowledge both in terms of the conflict and also some of the better known relevant institutions. Again we have provided further detail on the origins and gestation of some of these initiatives in previous publications. In considering this report the Board recognise that the societal response to dealing with the past needs to be addressed at a political level rather than through a purely legal approach and focus. As we have noted before, the current structures and processes, whilst largely based in the criminal justice system, have tended to focus on state actors and their activities rather than on the role of non-state actors in the conflict. We hope that this report will enrich and stimulate the necessary on-going debate on how to deal with the past so as to build a better future both now and for the generations to come. The Board of Healing Through Remembering: Dawn Purvis Claire Hackett Brandon Hamber Brian Lambkin Alan McBride Pat Sheehan Geraldine Smyth Irwin Turbitt Oliver Wilkinson iii Dealing with the Past? | An Overview ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Healing Through Remembering would like to thank a range of people who assisted in the production of this Report. We would like to thank Kieran McEvoy who researched and wrote the Report. Cheryl Lawther, Louise Mallinder, Luke Moffatt, Susan McKay and Gráinne Kelly all provided either useful research assistance or commentary on parts of the Report as it took shape. The HTR board would also like to thank the HTR staff team who worked on the Report, especially Kate Turner, Jayme Reaves, Florian Engelberger and Jim Peacock. Thanks also to Doghouse Creative and Impro Printers who ensured that the document was produced in time to be part of the current debate. This funded is part-financed by the European Union’s Programme for Peace and Reconcilation (PEACE III) managed by the Special EU Programmes Body. iv Dealing with the Past? | An Overview Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................................iv BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................3 REPORT OF THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON THE PAST AND POLITICAL REACTION ..............................................4 The Response of the British Government ................................................................................................7 The Response of Other Political Actors to the CGP Report ....................................................................7 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................10 POSITION OF POLITICAL ACTORS ON “DEALING WITH THE PAST” ........................................................................11 The British Government..........................................................................................................................11 The Irish Government ............................................................................................................................12 The Democratic Unionist Party ..............................................................................................................13 The Ulster Unionist Party........................................................................................................................13 Sinn Féin ................................................................................................................................................14 The SDLP ................................................................................................................................................14 Alliance....................................................................................................................................................15 Conclusion: Spaces for Exploration?......................................................................................................15 PUBLIC INQUIRIES....................................................................................................................................................17 The Saville Inquiry ..................................................................................................................................17 Martin McGuinness’ Evidence to the Saville Inquiry ..............................................................................19 The Cory Collusion Inquiries ..................................................................................................................21 The Rosemary Nelson Inquiry ................................................................................................................22 The Billy Wright Inquiry ..........................................................................................................................23 The Robert Hamill Inquiry ......................................................................................................................24 The Smithwick Tribunal ..........................................................................................................................25 The Pat Finucane Case ..........................................................................................................................26 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................29 THE DISAPPEARED ..................................................................................................................................................30 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................31 THE OFFICE OF THE POLICE OMBUDSMAN FOR NORTHERN IRELAND (OPONI)..................................................32 Claudy Bombing ......................................................................................................................................33 McGurk’s Bar ..........................................................................................................................................34 Loughinisland..........................................................................................................................................34 The Resignation of OPONI Chief Executive Sam Pollock ......................................................................35 The Criminal Justice Inspectorate Report..............................................................................................35 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................................36 THE HISTORICAL ENQUIRIES TEAM ........................................................................................................................38 HET and the Views of Families................................................................................................................39 Kingsmills ..........................................................................................................................................40 La Mon ................................................................................................................................................40 Loughgall............................................................................................................................................40