The Ancient Order of Hibernians has witnessed the work of successive Northern Ireland secretaries of state going back to the very first appointee, that being William Whitelaw, who served from March 1972 to December 1973.
Now, the AOH has questions for the latest North Secretary, Welsh-born Chris Bryant.
In a statement, AOH National President Sean Pender and the order's National Freedom for all Ireland Chair Martin Galvin stated: “The appointment of Chris Bryant as Northern Secretary gives the British government another opportunity to keep Labour’s Election Manifesto pledge to repeal and replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, instead of renaming and retaining the commission designed by the Conservatives to cut off all legal avenues for genuine independent investigations, truth, or justice.
“The Independent Commission on Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) has been boycotted by thousands of legacy victims’ relatives, who realize it would never give them justice. The ICRIR has suffered major court setbacks and thus far failed to publish a single report.
“Yet under proposals by Hilary Benn, the discredited ICRIR would be renamed and retained, as a legacy commission, staff included. Benn has referenced Special Protections, which families fear will mean a thinly disguised amnesty for troopers who committed murder, or an excuse to block genuine investigations because of prior participation in sham investigations, which did not comply with European law.
“Hilary Benn has even taken cases involving the murders of Paul Thompson and Sean Brown to the London Supreme Court. The Coroner in the Brown case issued a “gist” simply acknowledging that intelligence reports linked multiple British agents in the murder, while the Coroner in the Thompson case was blocked from issuing even a gist of the truth approved by Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and the Court of Appeals.
"If British officials will not allow Courts or Coroners to even acknowledge documented crown agent involvement in murders, it will be impossible for victims' relatives to get the truth about collusion.
“Another basis for the lack of trust in the ICRIR are objections about staffing by former senior Royal Ulster Constabulary members. Families believe there is clear evidence that collusion went far higher than local RUC level.
“Additionally, we urge the new British Secretary to put the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement for a border poll on Irish reunification on the horizon, after 28 years.
“The AOH has a continuing commitment to the families of legacy victims in their long fight for truth and will continue to be a voice for them across America and particularly in Congress. We look forward to engaging with the new Northern Secretary on these issues."
