South Antrim Ulster Unionist MP Danny Kinahan has said he is extremely concerned at how former service personnel are being treated and has expressed his concern about investigations being carried out which do not take full account of the context of the time in which they operated.
Mr Kinahan said:
“I note today`s announcements of a former soldier being arrested in connection with Bloody Sunday and a 74 year old former soldier being prosecuted for the attempted murder of a man in 1974.
“I have spoken to many former members of the army, including former colleagues of my own, who are very concerned about where all this is leading. They are all asking the same question - is this a sign of things to come where the context in which they operated is ignored?
“I would like to know how the proposed Historical Investigations Unit will address this. Former terrorists are running round with OTR letters and Royal Pardons while former soldiers and policemen can be questioned based on the content of historical files, and investigations carried out without placing any weight on the context of the Troubles at the time, where terrorists were committing multiple murders on our streets and laying waste to our town centres.”