20 Feb KRW SUBMISSIONS ON PROPOSALS TO END CIVIL ACTIONS IN CONFLICT-RELATED LEGACY LITIGATION ON RECORD WITH US CONGRESS
KRW LAW LLP (KRW) is proud to announce that our submissions to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland have been placed on the official record of the US Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
The bi-partisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission was established with the unanimous consent of the United States House of Representatives in 2008. The Commission is charged with promoting, defending and advocating for international human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments.
On 15 February 2022 the Commission heard evidence under the tile “Northern Ireland: Accountability at Risk”. This was a virtual hearing with speakers from Relatives for Justice and the Committee on the Administration of Justice. Geraldine Finucane (the widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane) spoke as did Jon Boutcher (Operation Kenova). Speakers addressed the Northern Ireland Office proposals on “Addressing the Legacy of the Past”.
KRW have made submissions to NIO on the specific proposal to end judicial activity relating to civil actions in Conflict-related Legacy Litigation. Legacy Litigation has developed with the assistance of the courts to fill the human rights deficit regarding information retrieval in the absence of a human rights compliant mechanism to address the out-workings of the Legacy of Conflict following the British government’s abandonment of The Stormont House Agreement 2014.
KRW maintain that any attempt to end Conflict-related civil actions would be unlawful, irrational, in breach of international human rights law – including the ECHR – and Common Law rights protecting access to justice under the Rule of Law in addition violating to Article 2 of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol.
The KRW submissions have now become part of the official record of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
Northern Ireland: Accountability at Risk | Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (house.gov) (last accessed 16 February 2022)
Christopher Stanley, Litigation Consultant, KRW said:
“As a major supplier of legal advice and representation on Conflict-related Legacy litigation KRW considered it important that our submissions were entered into the public record of the important US Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission standing with those of Amnesty International, Human Rights First and others. Legacy litigation has developed and evolved because of the British government’s failure to address the Legacy of the Conflict in a human rights compliant way despite the possibility of the Stormont House Agreement 2014 which has now been unilaterally abandoned in favour of closure on truth, justice and accountability in order to protect the interests and secrets of the British state.”