The police in Northern Ireland have had to close hundreds of cases linked to the years of IRA-era violence after the full enactment this week of the Legacy and Reconciliation Act in the United Kingdom. The law, approved last September by the British Parliament, offers amnesty to members of the British Army and paramilitary groups who provide information about crimes committed during the sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. The Ombudsman’s office estimates that more than 300 cases will no longer be investigated, despite sharp criticism from victims’ groups.
The government has set a deadline until next April to finish investigations that are already advanced, near a hundred in number, yet has closed the door on other inquiries that are less developed or have not yet begun. The ombudsperson for the Northern Ireland police, Marie Anderson, said in a statement that she is personally writing to families whose investigations will not progress, expressing her sorrow. She acknowledged that those families will be deeply disappointed and distressed.
Controversial law
The Legacy and Reconciliation Act has sparked debate since its 2021 introduction to Parliament during Boris Johnson’s tenure as prime minister. Beyond victims’ associations, the legislation has faced opposition from the main political parties in Northern Ireland, as well as major human rights organizations and the Government of Ireland. Ireland has even initiated a legal challenge against the United Kingdom at the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the measure contravenes the European Convention on Human Rights.
Only the key veterans associations from the British Army have welcomed the law, which directs new inquiries to the recently created Independent Commission for the Reconciliation and Recovery of Information (ICRIR) to handle cases going forward, with no criminal consequences. Under the act, prosecutions will be limited to individuals who already have ongoing proceedings or those who have been convicted.
The government says the law aims to clarify events from the Troubles era, acknowledging the practical difficulties of proving incidents that occurred more than 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement. The reform has generated renewed tensions with the Government of Ireland, but the Northern Ireland minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, has expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship is strong enough to address these issues. He emphasized this during a meeting in London with Ireland’s deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin.
The government has been accused of shielding security forces involved in the conflict. A report from the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights this week highlights widespread and systematic practices that protected soldiers from accountability for state violence. While around 30,000 members of unionist and republican paramilitary groups have faced imprisonment for offenses linked to the Troubles, relatively few members of the military or police have faced justice to date.
Researchers warn that failing to overturn the act could harm Britain’s reputation on the international stage. Estimates suggest that about one-third of the more than 3,500 murders committed during the Troubles remain unsolved. Still, the government maintains that the new framework is the best path to clarify what happened in a period that extends well beyond a quarter of a century since the signing of the peace agreement.
Despite the law’s approval, tensions with Ireland’s government persist. Northern Ireland’s minister for the region, Chris Heaton-Harris, remains optimistic about bridging the gaps with Ireland, saying that the relationship between the two nations is strong enough to weather these differences. He voiced this sentiment after meeting with Ireland’s deputy prime minister in London.
As investigations shift to the ICRIR, critics warn about potential reputational damage if accountability is perceived as uneven. Proponents argue that the new provisions will deliver needed clarity without reviving endless prosecutions. The debate continues to center on how best to balance the need for truth with the demands for national healing and political stability in a deeply divided landscape.