OVER 100 MEN historically convicted of homosexuality could have their criminal records wiped, the Irish Government has said.
Figures retrieved from An Garda Síochána's PULSE system indicated a preliminary figure of around 150 men as having been convicted of consensual same-sex activity between 1944 and 1993.
It follows an apology last month by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, himself openly gay, to men convicted before homosexuality's decriminilisation 25 years ago.
Speaking today, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said each case would be examined on an individual basis.
He added that the process would be based on a similar pardoning scheme in England and Wales - which saw the criminal records of thousands of gay men overturned in 2017.
Minister Flanagan has called on Gardaí to review individual case files and report on their availability and quality within three months.
An average of 13 men per year were jailed in Ireland for same-sex offences between 1940 and 1978.
The country decriminalised homosexuality in June 1993 following a decades-long campaign gay rights activists, most famously Dublin Senator David Norris.
