Families Of N.Ireland 'Troubles' Victims Protest 'amnesty' Law

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2021 ) :Families of Irish republicans killed during decades of unrest over British rule in Northern Ireland protested on Tuesday against plans to introduce a time limit on prosecutions against former soldiers they hold responsible.

The protest came a day after an ageing former British soldier accused over the fatal shooting of a vulnerable man in the 1970s died while on trial.

The government in London introduced a plan in July to end all prosecutions related to the Northern Ireland conflict, which left 3,500 people dead over three decades, before the Good Friday peace agreement was signed in 1998.

Although the text covers both British soldiers and paramilitary groups, it has been denounced by the families of victims as an "amnesty".

"My son was murdered and they're telling me... there's no prosecution," Raymond McCord, whose 22-year-old son was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in 1997, told AFP outside the UK parliament in London.

"That's not going to help me and my family to move on. We don't want their sympathy, we want justice," he said.

The proposed changes meant that "thousands of people... no longer matter", he added.

- 'Hounded until his death' - Former soldier Dennis Hutchings, 80, died on Monday while on trial over the 1974 killing of John Pat Cunningham, in a case his supporters say should never have taken place.

The trial had been adjourned on Monday after Hutchings, already suffering serious kidney disease, contracted Covid-19.

British lawmaker Jeffrey Donaldson -- the leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) -- said Hutchings was "dragged to a court and hounded until his death".

Hutchings stood accused of the attempted murder of Cunningham -- a 27-year-old with severe learning disabilities -- who was shot dead as he ran from an army patrol in rural County Tyrone.

Cunningham's family on Tuesday said Hutchings' family should be given "time to grieve", but issued a statement explaining why they believed it was right for him to stand trial.

The British army was deployed on peacekeeping duties, however over its 38-year involvement its critics held it responsible for some of the bloodiest chapters of the conflict.

Prosecution for deaths at the hands of the military remains a politically volatile topic in Northern Ireland, and the wider UK.

Families of those killed by the armed forces say they have been denied justice against soldiers representing the authority of the state.

Soldiers who served in Northern Ireland argue that they are being hounded into old age and infirmity.

The British government has pledged to soon bring forward an amnesty for killings on all sides, meaning Hutchings' case could be one of the last to go before the courts.