Mr Robinson said,
“In 1998 the prison gates were opened and people guilty of horrendous crimes were released without serving their sentences. The innocent victims however, still had to deal with the loss of their loved one or their life altering injury. This, alongside the on-the-run letters, was a corruption of justice.
Victims of wrongdoing must always have access to justice for the suffering they endured in the Troubles. If this Bill undermines access to justice for innocent victims then it will be a further corruption of justice.
90% of the deaths in the Troubles were deliberate killings by terrorists. Many of those terrorists have never stood in court. Those victims’ families deserve justice. No terrorist should ever be able to stop looking over their shoulder.
We will be studying the detail of this Bill and will continue to be a voice for innocent victims and those who stood against terrorism during those dark days.
There can be no moral equivalence between those who perpetrated violence and those who tried to bring it to an end.
Victims and their families must be at the heart of any new legacy structures. The right to seek justice must be protected.”