Rights & Security International’s evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill
28th October 2025
On Monday 27 October, RSI gave evidence to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee on the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill.
While the government presents it as a solution for reconciliation, the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill (‘the Bill’) remains in direct conflict with the UK’s obligations to effectively investigate serious conflict-related crimes under Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).1 If implemented, the Bill will also fail to create a system of transitional justice in Northern Ireland that provides truth and justice, and in turn, contribute to reconciliation. In our view, the Bill:
- Denies justice by creating a system in which effective criminal investigations and prosecutions are unlikely.
- Denies truth by granting the state sweeping powers to conceal information under broad and potentially subjective or arbitrary ‘national security’ claims. The new Legacy Commission’s operational mechanics (especially the national security veto), as outlined in the Bill, could be misused to protect state actors from scrutiny.
- Denies participation by centralising power within a state-appointed and state- controlled body, while minimising the voices of those most affected.
- Likely violates international law by failing to meet the standards for effective investigations required by Articles 2 and 3 ECHR.
The Bill offers an illusory form of ‘reconciliation’ that demands that victims accept a limited and state-controlled version of the truth in exchange for forgoing any realistic hope of justice. This is not a path to genuine reconciliation, but a recipe for continued grievance, alienation, and a perception that the state will decide who gets justice and who does not. Equally importantly, even the goal of reconciliation does not enable the UK to evade its legal obligation under the ECHR to carry out effective investigations in individual cases.
The Bill accentuates the belief among many victims that the UK government continues to perceive the conflict as a sectarian squabble rather than fully acknowledging its own role. Concerns about the state shielding itself from accountability are prompted by, inter alia, the national security veto and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s (SSNI’s) control over the Legacy Commission.
We also encourage the Committee to refer again to:
- Rights & Security International’s March 2025 assessment tool ‘Holding the ICRIR to account: Key Performance Indicators for the investigatory body,’ which outlines what the UK government needs to do to create an investigatory body for Troubles-related crimes that complies with its obligations under the ECHR; and
- Our September 2025 submissions to the Committee regarding the UK-Ireland ‘Joint Framework’ for addressing the legacy of the past.
The full submission can be read below.