A Statement by Andrew Rosindell M.P.
Chairman of the the Libyan-IRA Terrorism Victims’ Parliamentary Support Group
Today, the release of the Shawcross Report is a landmark in the long and painful journey for justice by the victims of Libyan-Sponsored IRA terrorism and their families.
As Chairman of the Libyan-IRA Terrorism Victims’ Parliamentary Support Group, I, and my colleagues from all parties, have stood shoulder to shoulder with the victims and families, and whilst they will undoubtedly be pleased by the release of the report, its contents will undoubtedly re-open old wounds.
It is clear from the report that Sir William Shawcross believed that it was the responsibility of His Majesty’s Government to provide a scheme of compensation, even if funding could not be directly obtained from the Libyan government. Another key observation made by Lord Shawcross was that compensation could easily be provided to victims and their families using the hypothecated tax collected on frozen Libyan assets.
The absolute need to utilise taxation on frozen assets to issue overdue compensation has been the long-standing position of our group. The campaign was consistently told by consecutive governments that such a solution would be unworkable, illegitimate, and even unlawful. Today, we discover that this was in fact one of the potential options highlighted by Sir William in the internal report commissioned by and for the government.
The sense of duplicity will undoubtedly be a challenge for victims and their families, as they recognise that their suffering could have been partly ameliorated many years ago if successive governments had only listened to their own advice. Yet, this moment also presents a significant opportunity to right historic wrongs: I urge His Majesty’s Government to implement the recommendation without delay.
The victims of Libyan-sponsored IRA terrorism have waited far too long for justice. Their voices have been stifled with lies and duplicity, and not the transparency and clarity commended by Sir William Shawcross. It is time for their voices to be heard and for them to be compensated in the manner that they deserve.
I hope that the release of this report brings some measure of comfort to the victims and their families.
I will continue to advocate for their rights and interests in Parliament, and fight for governmental action without further delays and excuses.
The victims deserve justice, and I will not rest until that outcome is achieved.
