In a new report, the New York City Bar Association strongly opposes the UK's Northern Ireland Troubles Act 2023 ("The Legacy Act") and asks members of Congress and the State Department to urge Parliament to rapidly repeal the legislation in its entirety.
In a statement issued on Monday, March 17, the City Bar said that according to the new report, the Legacy Act violates “the European Convention on Human Rights (which was codified in the UK’s domestic law as part of the Human Rights Act of 1998), transitional justice norms, the Good Friday Agreement, and subsequent agreements.”
In the report, “the City Bar commends UK's courts for disapplying many parts of the Legacy Act and urges the courts to do even more to increase transparency and justice for victims.
"The City Bar also supports Ireland’s pending interstate case in the European Court of Human Rights challenging the Legacy Act which should remain pending while the UK government works to repeal the Legacy Act and provide suitable mechanisms for resolving outstanding Legacy issues."
The report further says: “As an essential part of the resolution of legacy cases, the City Bar also reiterates its prior calls for a full and fair inquiry into the death of solicitor Patrick Finucane. The City Bar welcomes the UK’s decision to comply with the Court of Appeal’s July 2024 ruling in the Finucane family’s case and expressed willingness to conduct a full and fair investigation into the Finucane murder that will comply with European Human Rights Article 2 requirements."
In its statement on Monday, the City Bar noted that it has a long and active history with the conflict and subsequent peace process in Northern Ireland since 1987 when it sent the first of four blue-ribbon fact-finding missions to Northern Ireland. The City Bar’s history is detailed in the report.
You can read the New York City Bar Association's full report on the Legacy Act here.