The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has restated his party’s opposition to a general amnesty for Troubles related offences.
Doug Beattie said:
“These reported Government proposals appear to represent a de facto amnesty across the board, the drawing of a line in the sand.
“The Ulster Unionist Party was the only Party that refused to endorse the Stormont House Agreement Legacy proposals because they provided an amnesty for all terrorist activities short of murder. We have always stated that nobody is above the law, be they a soldier, police officer, member of the public or a politician.
“There is quite understandably a huge amount of frustration at present with regard to legacy investigations, because the public have watched on as terrorists have been able to avail of early release, letters of comfort and Royal Pardons, whilst retired former Police Officers and soldiers are sat waiting for a knock at the door.
“There is no equivalence between the terrorists who spent every waking hour working out how to commit murder, and those lawfully constituted forces who were tasked with stopping them. We must never forget that terrorists were responsible for 90 per cent of Troubles related deaths, the security forces 10 per cent.
“The current arrangements are far from perfect, but I do not believe that the answer lies in bringing about a situation that gives equivalence between the forces of law and order and those self-appointed murderers who sought to bring mayhem and anarchy to this society.”