Commenting on today’s announcement by the Secretary of State TUV East Belfast representative John Ross said:
“In 1998 the justice system was perverted in order to facilitate violent Republicanism. Convicted criminals walked free having in some cases served only a tiny fraction of their sentences. But bad as that was they were released as criminals on licence.
“In the years which have followed there has been a reluctance by the powers that be to go after terrorists for fear of upsetting the political process. While elderly veterans have been dragged through the courts not a single terrorist who remained on good terms with the Provo leadership has been brought to book since the Belfast Agreement.
“There has been much which has gone on beneath the radar, most notably the infamous On The Run letters scheme which shamefully resulted in the collapse of the Hyde Park case.
“The solution to perverting the law is not to continue further down the same path yet that is exactly what the Government is doing. Veterans do not want a statute of limitation. They know that they served with honour and don’t need such “protection” from the rule of law. Unlike the terrorists who set out to take life, the Army and RUC saved countless lives by their fearless conduct throughout 30 years of terror. To draw an equivalence between brave policemen and soldiers who served their community and killers who skulked in ditches is repugnant.
“It is telling too that the Secretary of State envisages this as something which can be bolted on to Stormont House. The parties which agreed to proposals need to be clear that they are pulling their support for Stormont House.
“Today’s announcement is a kick in the teeth not just for victims but for ex-servicemen and women who did so much for Northern Ireland”.