THE head of local human rights NGO has delivered a letter to the Prime Minister to outline the universal rejection of the British Government's Legacy and Reconciliation Bill.

Relatives for Justice CEO Mark Thompson delivered a personalised letter to Boris Johnson, urging him to reconsider his government's legacy proposals. The proposals will allow the British Government to offer amnesty to those involved in Troubles killings.

Mr Thompson led a delegation to Downing Street on Tuesday at the same time that protests against the Bill were being held in Belfast and Derry.

Mr Thompson told the Prime Minister that the failure to deal with legacy issues and address human rights violations "has been a source of compounding trauma for families" who have been denied "the most basic of independent human rights compliant investigations or systems of accountability".

He said the government's Bill ignores legacy obligations set out in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and "tramples over the enshrined rights of victims and survivors."

"It removes all commitment or access to independent investigations," Mr Thompson wrote.

"It hands all power to a Secretary of State, who to date has demonstrated nothing except contempt for victims and survivors. It introduces amnesty measures that fly in the face of law and international human rights norms.

"With this unilateral Bill your government has shown a reckless disregard for the rights of bereaved families across the entire community, the Good Friday Agreement, the judiciary, the rule of law and the administration of justice. To be clear if passed your government will have acted in direct contravention of the law, the Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights.

"After such a protracted period of time to be forced to engage with this disastrous approach is exasperating and compounds the hurts and trauma of victims in a totally callous manner."

Mr Thompson said families have "no confidence that this Bill will deliver any semblance of truth".

He further called on the Prime Minister to "overcome the zealotry of defense of the indefensible".

"While some veterans will be supportive of the abandonment of the rule of law, to cover up conflict crimes and protect the reputation of a small number of British army and RUC veterans, surely this is a step too far for any modern democracy, let alone a society trying to heal from conflict," he wrote.

"This Bill has clearly been written to protect those guilty of the most serious of crimes, rather than protect the rights of those who suffered at their hands. This is a most egregious precedent. If passed your government will stand in the ignominious company of the most despotic and rogue of nations since the Second World War, relying on impunity and the denial of fundamental human rights. This self-serving Bill, designed to protect a handful of British soldiers denies the families of the 709 families of British soldiers killed in the conflict on these islands access to justice, if the Bill works to protect the impunity of a handful of veterans what of these families?

"Mr Johnson, you have an opportunity to pull back from this catastrophic course of action. It is in your gift to return to the principles of Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights and the Good Friday Agreement. The Stormont House Agreement was sound in law and with minimal adjustment will have the universal support of all victims of the conflict on our islands.

"While we value the opportunity of writing to you at this time, we would very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to explain our experiences of harm and conflict and why this Bill is so harmful. Meeting with families in person, from all backgrounds, affected by all actors to the conflict would take little of your time but we have no impact will explain why this Bill is universally opposed by victims and survivors across the community and receives no consent."