The British Government always denied that this was a war. That was the basis for refusing POW status to prisoners, and was the cause of the Dirty Proterst and the Hunger Strikes.

It's a bit late now to say "Well, it was a war, so these things happen."

In any case the fact that it was a war does not means that actions carried out may have been criminal. It just means that, if criminal, they were war crimes, and should be treated as such.

There are times when amnesty is necessary and appropriate - but that does not mean that the truth should be concealed. The South African model in which amnesty is conditional on being open about what people have done is one that should be applied in other places.