Overview

• Ireland has announced legal action against the UK government in the European Court of Human Rights over a law granting immunity to combatants in the Northern Ireland conflict.
• The contentious legislation, passed by the UK parliament in September, creates a truth and recovery commission offering amnesty to British security personnel and paramilitaries if they cooperate with its enquiries.
• All Northern Irish political parties and the Irish government in Dublin oppose the legislation, while Europe’s leading rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, has also expressed “serious concerns”.
• Ireland will pursue the case in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which oversees the ECHR and is recognised by 46 states including Britain and Ireland.
• Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland Deputy Director, Grainne Teggart, said the challenge would be vital for victims in Northern Ireland and around the world.