The Covid-19 pandemic has shocked and changed the world. CAJ is convinced that a human rights perspective is essential to both enduring the pandemic and moving into the future. For us, this approach can be summed up in the following imperatives: Protect people, restrict freedom only as necessary, help the most vulnerable, and together prepare…Continue reading Prepare for a better world Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
One rule for the military, another for the rest? Special courts and hiding accountability in Colombia Daniela Castillo, Volunteer for CAJ and Master’s Student at TJI
Since the 2014 Stormont House Agreement, there have been a number of alternative proposals to deal with the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict recently examined in a report by the CAJ-QUB Model Bill Team. Many of these came from groupings seeking various forms of amnesty or ‘statutes of limitations’ for the security forces, specifically…Continue reading One rule for the military, another for the rest? Special courts and hiding accountability in Colombia Daniela Castillo, Volunteer for CAJ and Master’s Student at TJI
Borders and Backstops – How will Brexit impact Northern Ireland? Guest post by Jo Smith and Cameron Boyle
The question of the Irish border has been a major sticking point in Brexit negotiations. With Boris Johnson repudiating the Irish Backstop and declaring it as ‘dead’, Northern Ireland has been plunged into a state of further uncertainty. What was the Irish Backstop? The backstop was a means of ensuring that the Irish border remained…Continue reading Borders and Backstops – How will Brexit impact Northern Ireland? Guest post by Jo Smith and Cameron Boyle
Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
As autumn arrives in Northern Ireland a many-sided crisis, already developing, will affect all our lives. There is a crisis of governance at a UK level. The current government, headed by Boris Johnson, has a working majority of one in the House of Commons, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The…Continue reading Autumn in Northern Ireland: Parameters of a political, social and economic crisis Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
A re-tread of tired approaches: A review of ‘Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review’ Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
“The attention paid to ‘sectarianism’ in this paper, is not intended to be judgemental or pejorative, but to describe a common predicament: we were raised in a society where sectarianism was ‘built in’ to normality.” That single sentence taken from page 8 of Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review, published in early May, encapsulates the…Continue reading A re-tread of tired approaches: A review of ‘Sectarianism in Northern Ireland: A Review’ Guest post by Brian Gormally, Director, CAJ
Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
The above derided Home Office tweet and other official Brexit communications overlook the part of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) where the UK recognises the birthright of those born in Northern Ireland to be accepted as Irish and hold Irish citizenship. Given this recognition it is hardly compatible with the GFA to casually imply…Continue reading Will NI-born Irish citizens have to pay a £65 or £437 fee to keep some EU rights after Brexit? Guest post by Daniel Holder, Deputy Director, CAJ
Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past Guest post by Chief Commissioner Les Allamby, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC)
One of the realities of the legacy of the past and moving forward the institutions created in the Stormont House Agreement is that they are the only game in town. There is no plan ‘B’ and no realistic prospect of any alternative arriving in the foreseeable future. The Commission welcomes the draft consultation and legislation…Continue reading Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past Guest post by Chief Commissioner Les Allamby, Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC)
BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
Despite earlier commitments, recent UK and EU statements now point to Northern Ireland (NI)-resident Irish passport holders being stripped of access to almost all active EU rights following BREXIT. Should a recent EU Commission response to a question by Martina Anderson MEP stand it would leave NI resident citizens with only the same ‘dormant’ EU…Continue reading BREXIT – Sleepwalking into second class EU citizenship? Guest post by Daniel Holder, CAJ
RUC Walker Report: The Wall of Silence Loses Another Brick Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
On 16 January 1980, the then Chief Constable of the RUC commissioned a report on the interchange of intelligence between Special Branch (SB) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and on the staffing and organisation of various other RUC units. This was written by one Patrick J. Walker, then a senior officer in the Belfast…Continue reading RUC Walker Report: The Wall of Silence Loses Another Brick Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
New border policing powers proposed Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
A Draft Bill introduced into the House of Commons by the UK Government proposes new powers for police, customs and immigration officers along the Border. In a mile-wide strip along the Border between North and South, people will be liable to stopped, searched and detained in order to check whether they are entering or leaving…Continue reading New border policing powers proposed Guest post by Brian Gormally, CAJ
UK found to be in ‘grave and systematic’ violation of women’s human rights due to restrictive abortion laws in Northern Ireland Guest Post by Dr Catherine O'Rourke
Dr Catherine O’Rourke is Senior Lecturer in Human Rights and International Law at Ulster University Transitional Justice Institute and School of Law. She co-authored the submission requesting the CEDAW Committee to conduct an inquiry into access to abortion in Northern Ireland with Jude Cross (Alliance for Choice), Ann Marie Gray (NIWEP) and the Audrey Simpson…Continue reading UK found to be in ‘grave and systematic’ violation of women’s human rights due to restrictive abortion laws in Northern Ireland Guest Post by Dr Catherine O’Rourke
The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty
(This personal reflection is a cross posted article from the Irish News and The Human Rights Consortium) 20 years ago today I sat with friends in our student accommodation in Belfast and watched as politicians emerged to announce the new peace deal that was the Good Friday Agreement. We were all students at Queens, had grown up in the…Continue reading The Agreement at 20 Guest Post by Kevin Hanratty