The Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI) has today released its report into the investigation of the deaths of Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell who died in 1991. The initial investigation determined that they had died by suicide pact but earlier this year both of their spouses were convicted of their murders (Hazel…Continue reading Police Ombudsman Report
Author: Vicky Conway
Hacking in Northern Ireland
The ongoing Leveson Inquiry is currently examining the culture, practices and ethics of the media. Numerous celebrities including film stars, singers, comedians and tv personalities have given evidence of their experiences of media intrusion and hacking. Yesterday both Charlotte Church and Anne Diamond gave oral testimony of their experiences. Ms Diamond talking about how the…Continue reading Hacking in Northern Ireland
Rape Levels in Northern Ireland
Following three reports of rape made to the PSNI last weekend, the BBC is today reporting that this brings the total number of rapes reported to the police in the last year to 525. That is more than 10 a week. In fact its about 3 every 2 days, as in another 6 victims by this…Continue reading Rape Levels in Northern Ireland
Human Rights in Ireland Event
Many of our readers may be interested to hear of an upcoming, novel event being hosted on Human Rights Day (10 December) by the Human Rights in Ireland blog. The following is their description of the event: As announced in August, the Human Rights in Ireland blog will host a performance on 10 December at 6pm…Continue reading Human Rights in Ireland Event
The Irish Vote
This Thursday the Irish electorate go to the polls for both the presidential election and the 29th and 30th proposed ammendments to the Constitution. These votes are not without their significance for Northern Ireland. Seven candidates are vying to become the 9th President of Ireland. The sucessful candidate will replace Mary McAleese, of Northern Ireland, who…Continue reading The Irish Vote
The Finucane Decision
Following on from Patrick’s response to the annoucement last week that there would not be an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, we welcome this piece from Paul Mageean, now of the University of Ulster, but who has previously worked as a leading human rights solicitor, as legal officer for CAJ, for the Courts…Continue reading The Finucane Decision
Return of the Supergrass
In the early 1980s numerous trials were held in which the main evidence against a defendant accussed of paramilitary crimes was from another member of the same paramilitary organisation. The evidence of Christopher Black led to 22 members of the Provisional IRA being convicted of a range of offences. There was no other evidence in the case…Continue reading Return of the Supergrass
Northern Ireland’s DNA Database Proposals: A Risk or Rights Based Approach
This post comes from David O’Dwyer, a PhD student at the University of Limerick, funded by the IRCHSS, who is conducting a human rights analysis of the growing phenomenon of DNA Databases. Here David considers recent proposals for the Northern Ireland database. In March 2011, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice released a Consultation on…Continue reading Northern Ireland’s DNA Database Proposals: A Risk or Rights Based Approach
Legal aid dispute: UPDATE
Two weeks ago I blogged about the legal aid row in Northern Ireland and how so few solicitors were willing to provide their services under the new payment arrangements introduced by Minister for Justice, David Ford. Just to follow up, it appears that through negotiations between the Law Society and the Department of Justice, this…Continue reading Legal aid dispute: UPDATE
Calls for Al Hutchinson to resign
In October 2000 the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (OPONI), with Dame Nuala O’Loan the first holder of the post. The Patten Report had considered the creation of such an office essential to achieving police accountability and a core element of ensuring a ‘new beginning’ in policing here. Since then it has been…Continue reading Calls for Al Hutchinson to resign
The Northern Ireland Legal Aid Row
A row has been brewing in Northern Ireland over the last 6 months or so, embroiling David Ford – the first Minister for Justice here – in his first major row. The dispute concerns the provision of legal aid to persons accused of crimes who cannot afford legal representation. In April of this year new…Continue reading The Northern Ireland Legal Aid Row