Responding to the failure today to reach an agreement over how to deal with the legacy of Northern Ireland's troubled past, Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland programme Director of Amnesty International said:

“The latest failure by both governments to agree how to investigate past human rights violations is a further let-down for victims who’ve been failed repeatedly for decades.

“Victims’ rights to truth and justice, and the international legal obligation of the UK government to fulfil those rights, are not going away and are more urgent than ever today.

“The UK government’s insistence on retaining a ‘national security’ veto on disclosure was reportedly the stumbling block. Wide claims of national security should not get in the way of victims getting to the truth about abuses they have suffered. National security concerns should only be used to save lives, and should not be trotted out to save face.

“As guarantors of peace in Northern Ireland, the two governments must urgently finish the job started at Stormont House last year. They are legally and morally obliged to do so.”