What if tens of thousands of “Troubles” victims were to litigate?

This is an interesting development. One case is neither here nor there. But considering the death count of the Troubles is a fraction of those seriously injured the whole judicial system could face meltdown if others were to follow in any great number…

“More than 300,000 servicemen and women served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles,” he said.
“If every one of those made a complaint to the PSNI about attempted murders, how do you think the PSNI would manage?
“All victims deserve truth and justice, but how do we do that? Where do we draw the line? Stormont and the British Government need to work out how to deal with Northern Ireland’s past.”

Where do we draw the line? Legal activism is growing with victims relatives queuing for years to get justice and truth for their loved ones against a Peace Process which almost guarantees their wishes will be thwarted.

Calls for an amnesty, however well intended, don’t deal with the demand for justice (a right guaranteed under the UN Charter). Political will appears to be the only means of dealing with what look like the unmeetable demands of what could number tens of thousands of the Troubles victims.

Mick Fealty

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty