The Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has called on the British Government to withdraw the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.
The Bill would end inquests, Police Ombudsman investigations, civil cases and police investigations into crimes committed as part of the Troubles.
Local historian, Brian MacDonald was 15 years old at the time of the Clones bomb attack back in 1972. Speaking to Northern Sound, Brian believes the Troubles Legacy Bill will have "major implications" in relation to renewed cross-border appeals by Gardaí and the PSNI into the Pettigo, Belturbet and Clones bombings.
According to the Clones native, bereaved families have been left in "limbo" over decades simply because records were not produced. Brian believes this Bill is about "burying the truth" and the hopes of families and communities who want justice and answers.
"The violence and trauma left by the actions of armed forces throughout is something that we really need to address I think," explained Mr MacDonald. "
"We've never had a proper truth and reconciliation commission as we were promised in the Good Friday Agreement. This Bill is being dressed-up by the British Government as part of a truth and reconciliation process when really it's about burying the truth, hopes and expectations of families and communities who want answers to the questions that deserve to be answered."
