ICRIR given advice over enabling potential meetings for victims and perpetrators

Northern Ireland's legacy body received advice around a potential move to enable victims and perpetrators to meet where there is a desire to, a Westminster committee has heard.
Sir Declan Morgan, chief commissioner at the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) said 'extreme caution would be needed'.
Addressing the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Sir Declan said they have considered actions beyond compiling a report on murders and atrocities from the region's troubled past.
'We've looked at whether if victims want to meet perpetrators, or representatives of perpetrators, whether there should be a mechanism for them to do so,' he told MPs.
'The first thing about anything that goes beyond the report that we produce is that it must be victim led.
'It's not for the perpetrator to make any decision about this, it must be victim led.
'We had our external assurance group reflect on how this might be done, and what the mechanisms might be, and the advice back to us is that it is certainly worth thinking about something after the report has been prepared where there might be a way of enabling some kind of meeting between the victim and the perpetrator, but the advice is that you need to be astonishingly careful about this because the danger is that you will actually retraumatise the victim.
'I think if it is going to be contemplated, I would have thought the most sensible thing to do is to think carefully about it and then to run something as a pilot rather than just to put it into the legislation wholesale.
'But I can't overemphasise the advice to us from the external assurance group, which included some experienced people in this territory that you need to be very careful.'
ICRIR commissioner for investigations Peter Sheridan, who in a former role brought together an IRA man and the widow of the police officer he murdered, also appeared at the committee.
He said, when he was chief executive of peacebuilding charity Co-operation Ireland, he was approached by the widow over meeting the perpetrator.
'I didn't know her, she wanted to meet the perpetrator of her husband's murder, I didn't know him either but through a process I got the two of them together,' he told MPs.
'I went into the room with them, I said to them, 'look, I feel like this is a private conversation', and the widow said to me, 'no, I want you to stay'.
'I have never broken the confidence of what was said in that room between them.
'Except two things struck me about it, one was how respectful the conversation was, even though this person had been involved in the murder of her husband, but secondly the questions this lady was asking.
'She wasn't asking what I would have thought as an investigator, she was asking simple things, 'were you following our kids to school at the weekend, did you follow them to the swimming pool, were you looking through our windows at night time'.
'These were things that were with her for over 40 years, and she rhymed them off, it wasn't just that this was somehow today she thought about them, this had been in her mind.
'And he answered them, and answered them honestly, and then told his own story, and I left with the two of them embracing.
'That was one sense of reconciliation for those two people, not every victim wants to meet the perpetrator but I do see that there are other opportunities, and it is one of the reasons why I put my hand up to apply for the commission because I could see that there were other possibilities in it.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Sun

10 minutes ago

• The Sun

Woman, 69, fights for her life in hospital after being hit by car in horror crash as cops appeal for witnesses

A WOMAN has been left fighting for her life after being hit by a car in a shocking collision. The 69-year-old was hit by a vehicle shortly after 6am today while walking in South Harrow, London, suffering serious injuries. She currently remains in hospital in a critical condition, the Metropolitan Police said. Cops added that the driver stopped at the scene and is helping with ongoing police enquiries. No arrests have yet been made. Police are also currently appealing for witnesses of the horrific collision to come forward. Detectives from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the event or may have dash cam footage in the run-up to the collision. If you have any information which could help police, call 101 or dial the witness line directly on 0208 246 9820, quoting reference 1569/21JUN. You can also anonymously report your findings through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun. 1

Daily Mail​

11 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

BBC must not show Kneecap at Glastonbury says Kemi Badenoch after member of Irish rap group was charged with carrying Hezbollah flag

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said she thinks the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury Festival next week. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. The 27-year-old arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London. Ms Badenoch said in the X post, which was accompanied by an article from The Times that claimed the BBC had not banned the group: 'The BBC should not be showing Kneecap propaganda. 'One Kneecap band member is currently on bail, charged under the Terrorism Act. 'As a publicly funded platform, the BBC should not be rewarding extremism.' The Tory leader has previously called for the group to be banned from Glastonbury, and last year Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK Government in Belfast High Court after she tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was a minister. Kneecap took aim at Ms Badenoch in their latest single, The Recap, released just before their headline set at London's Wide Awake festival in May, with the song mocking the politician's attempts to block their arts funding and the Conservative Party's election loss. On Wednesday, O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in 'Free Mo Chara' T-shirts. Og O hAnnaidh wore sunglasses, a black t-shirt, trousers and black jacket and held a Keffiyeh - a type of shawl often worn by supporters of the pro-Palestine movement. The members then walked up the stairs of the court and looked over the balcony, smiling and giving a thumbs up to their supporters gathered outside. Members of the crowd had surged around the entrance, with some also entering the lobby. During the proceedings, the court heard the 27-year-old is 'well within his rights' to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum is a 'wholly different thing'. O hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20. He requested an Irish language interpreter for the trial. Following the hearing, the rapper said: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. 'If you can't be there we'll be on the BBC, if anybody watches the BBC. We'll be at Wembley in September. 'But most importantly: free, free Palestine.' Speaking outside the court, a spokesperson for the band said: 'Over 18 countries, 100,000 fans, 80 concerts, not a single complaint. 'Around the world Kneecap are hailed as heroes for speaking truth to power. 'The truth was outed. This was a rushed prosecution following the Coachella performance where Kneecap did not shy away from speaking truth to power. 'Oppression fears the freedom of expression but the reality is Kneecap would stand up to the freedom of expresssion and they will defend their rights. Not only the rights of them but the rights of artists and people all around the world. 'And it's not new for Irish people to be prosecuted under special powers and terrorism acts. But friends, fans, family do not be afraid we are on the right side of history 'The more they come after Kneecap the louder we will get. If the British Government had any sense of history they will know they have already lost.' The charge came after a counter terrorism police investigation after the historical gig footage came to light, which also allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of MPs. In April, Kneecap apologised last month to the families of murdered MPs but said footage of the incident had been 'exploited and weaponised'. In an initial post in response to the charge, Kneecap said: '14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. 'We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective? 'To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world. To silence voices of compassion. To prosecute artists who dare speak out. 'Instead of defending innocent people, or the principles of international law they claim to uphold, the powerful in Britain have abetted slaughter and famine in Gaza, just as they did in Ireland for centuries. Then, like now, they claim justification. 'The IDF units they arm and fly spy plane missions for are the real terrorists, the whole world can see it.' Formed in 2017, the group are known for their provocative lyrics in both Irish and English, and merchandise. Their best-known tracks include Get Your Brits Out, Better Way To Live, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC, and 3Cag. A BBC spokesperson said: 'As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. 'Whilst the BBC doesn't ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines. Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.'

BBC News

17 minutes ago

• BBC News

Newscast The RAF Base Break In

Available for over a year Today we're looking at the reaction to a security breach at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Pro-Palestinian activists broke into the base and sprayed two military planes with red paint. The home secretary will move to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively branding them as a terrorist organisation, the BBC understands. Paddy and Laura look at the political row surrounding the incident. And the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet joins us to answer your questions on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast'. It works on most smart speakers You can join our Newscast online community here: Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Josh Jenkins. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The weekend series editor is Chris Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.