Executed soldiers’ case to be raised at Edinburgh talks
The case of 26 Irish soldiers who were executed by the British army during the First World War is due to be discussed at a meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Body in Edinburgh today.
Fine Gael Senator Brian Hayes has pledged to raise the matter with Northern Secretary Peter Hain as part of a campaign to get the men pardoned.
The 26 Irishmen were among 306 British soldiers executed for alleged cowardice and desertion during the First World War.
The killings were allegedly carried out in an effort to impose discipline in other soldiers, while many of the victims are believed to have been suffering from shell-shock.
Mr Hayes is demanding that the British government pardon all the executed soldiers, particularly in light of its move to allow paramilitary fugitives to return to the North without fear of imprisonment.
