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
Author: Patrick Corrigan
Patrick Corrigan LLM is the Head of Nations & Regions for Amnesty International UK and its Northern Ireland Programme Director. He is a founder and board member of the Human Rights Consortium and a founder and former board member of the Refugee Action Group. Contact: patrick.corrigan[at]amnesty.org.uk or +44 (0)28 9064 3000
Mental illness and the death penalty
This winter will mark 53 years since the last use of capital punishment in Northern Ireland. On 20 December 1961 Robert McGladdery became the last man to be hanged in Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol, for the murder of Pearl Gamble. The death penalty for murder was finally abolished in Northern Ireland on 25 July 1973. However, depending on…Continue reading Mental illness and the death penalty
Hong Kong: the spirit of freedom
As far as the eye can see, young pro-democracy protestors have taken to the streets of central Hong Kong to demand the right to elect freely the next chief executive of the territory. The students’ speeches, songs and placards celebrate the freedoms they want to enjoy. Beijing has announced restrictions for the 2017 election – which…Continue reading Hong Kong: the spirit of freedom
Attacking Islamic State vs protecting civilians in Syria?
With the start of US-led air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria this week, and Parliament due to vote today on British military action in neighbouring Iraq, attention is once again focused on the conflict which has cost so many lives since 2011. When G8 leaders met in Fermanagh last year, they committed themselves to helping to bring…Continue reading Attacking Islamic State vs protecting civilians in Syria?
United against racism – 8,000 march in most ethnically diverse demo ever seen in NI
Saturday afternoon in Belfast saw 8,000 people march together in the most ethnically diverse political demonstration ever seen in Northern Ireland. The Unite Against Racism march was organised by Amnesty International, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM). The Northern Ireland Executive has let down members of…Continue reading United against racism – 8,000 march in most ethnically diverse demo ever seen in NI
#BringBackOurGirls & defend the right to education
On April 14, over 200 girls, most of them aged between 16 and 18, were abducted as they slept, from their school in Chibok, north-eastern Nigeria. More schoolgirls have been kidnapped since. All of these girls are missing, their whereabouts and safety unknown. Islamist armed group Boko Haram claimed responsibility. It aims to overthrow the government by…Continue reading #BringBackOurGirls & defend the right to education
Good Friday Agreement at 16: politicians must do better
Good Friday 1998 was a day of hope. After thirty years of violence, a new day seemed to be dawning as politicians embraced, then inked an agreement which held out the promise of lasting peace. As the Agreement turns sixteen, it is timely to check the politicians’ school report card to see if their implementation of the…Continue reading Good Friday Agreement at 16: politicians must do better
Archbishop Romero, Northern Ireland and the Right to the Truth
The United Nations has declared today (24th March) as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning gross human rights violations and for the dignity of victims. One of the purposes of the Day is to honour the memory of victims of human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to…Continue reading Archbishop Romero, Northern Ireland and the Right to the Truth
Finucane: 25 years of waiting for the truth
Twenty-five years ago today, loyalist gunmen sledge-hammered their way into the Belfast home of lawyer Patrick Finucane and shot him dead in front of his wife and young children. Since then, compelling evidence has emerged to show that UK state agents were involved in the killing. Those who directed and took part in the attack…Continue reading Finucane: 25 years of waiting for the truth
Time to embrace Haass on ‘the past’
Standing on the shore at Newcastle during the recent tidal surges, I watched wave after wave crashing over the harbour wall. The wall, otherwise imposing on a clear day, seemed a puny human artifice as it was battered by the tide and overcome by the power of the stormy sea. Just so, with our past.…Continue reading Time to embrace Haass on ‘the past’
Haass and the Past – how to judge success
December 30th – decision day for Northern Ireland’s politicians gathered at Dr Richard Haass’ round table, has finally arrived. It’s already proving to be a long one. Soon, it will be judgment day for the rest of us. It seems they have already accepted defeat on the flying of flags. So toxic has that issue…Continue reading Haass and the Past – how to judge success
Queen’s Chancellor (and Commonwealth chief) under fire over Sri Lankan abuses
Kamalesh Sharma, the secretary-general of the Commonwealth – and Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast – is under fire after being accused of withholding crucial legal advice that could have prevented Sri Lanka from hosting the imminent heads of government meeting. The legal opinion said that the firing of the Sri Lankan chief justice by President…Continue reading Queen’s Chancellor (and Commonwealth chief) under fire over Sri Lankan abuses