‘Shut it all down’: UK legacy bill threatens Troubles-era atrocity inquests

Natasha Butler, relative of Patrick Butler, who was killed in the Springhill massacre in 1972, at a memorial garden created by the community near the site of the attack in Belfast, Northern Ireland [Tommy Greene/Al Jazeera]

Belfast, Northern Ireland – Amid widespread opposition across the island of Ireland, the controversial Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill was passed by lawmakers in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons last week.

This week, it will return to the UK’s House of Lords, where it is not expected to face opposition, and is due to become law within weeks or even days.