On Saturday hundreds of people lined up outside Tescos in Belfast city centre clutching ‘I am shopping for Peter’ posters, in a creative anti-racist protest against the First Minister‘s assertion, among other matters, that he would only trust Muslims “to go down to the shop for me, to give me the right change…”. Peter Robinson…Continue reading ‘Shopping for Peter’ and the question of which racist remarks constitute advocacy of hatred
Category: Criminal Justice
Stop and Search: legal certainty and dodgy consultation outcomes, two judgements of broader note
Last week Justice Treacy delivered judgements in two judicial reviews relating to the use of emergency-type stop and search powers under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, which will be of broader interest to other policy areas too. The first judgement, related to the legal certainty test under human rights law, i.e. whether…Continue reading Stop and Search: legal certainty and dodgy consultation outcomes, two judgements of broader note
An end to miscarriages of justice?
The above headline would be one usually welcomed by human rights activists here and throughout the world given the significance it could have: no more convictions on the basis of ‘confessions’ beaten out of suspects; an end to police corruption, an end to agent provocateurs fitting up persons, the list goes on. Yesterday however the…Continue reading An end to miscarriages of justice?
Registered Intermediaries in Northern Ireland
We are delighted to welcome this guest post from John Taggart. John is currently completing his barrister pupillage in The Bar Library in Belfast. Introduction Since the promulgation of The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 certain witnesses have been recognised as ‘vulnerable’ thus making them ‘eligible for assistance on the grounds of…Continue reading Registered Intermediaries in Northern Ireland
The Haass / O’Sullivan Proposed Agreement on parades and flags: analysis from a human rights perspective
CAJ made two submissions to the Haass process. The first (S419) related to advocating a single mechanism to deal with the legacy of the conflict. The other sets of issues dealt with by the Panel of Parties, including “Flags, symbols, emblems and related matters” and dealing with parades and protests, were dealt with in a…Continue reading The Haass / O’Sullivan Proposed Agreement on parades and flags: analysis from a human rights perspective
“North-South Irish Responses to Transnational Organised Crime”; Dissemination Conference; Friday 21st March 2014
The research team of the AHRC Project “North-South Irish Responses to Transnational Organised Crime” would like to invite you to our dissemination conference to be held at the University College Dublin on Friday, 21st March between 11 am and 4 p.m. The research team consists of Principal Investigator: Professor Tom Obokata, Research Fellow: Dr. Brian Payne,…Continue reading “North-South Irish Responses to Transnational Organised Crime”; Dissemination Conference; Friday 21st March 2014
Peru’s prison conditions – a state of emergency
Whether ultimately found innocent or guilty, Dungannon woman Michaella McCollum Connolly and Scot, Melissa Reid, face the prospect of a lengthy stay in Peru’s overcrowded and under-resourced prison system. In fact there are twice as many prisoners as there are prison places. Last year there was a total prison population of 57,095 but only space…Continue reading Peru’s prison conditions – a state of emergency
Sectarian/racist expression and restricting parades to protect the rights of others: implications of Vona v Hungary
On 9 July 2013 the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment in the case of Vona v Hungary relating to a supremacist organisation engaged in military-style assemblies. The authorities had ultimately dissolved the organisation following its attempt, blocked by police, to march through a street inhabited by Roma families. In the context of protecting…Continue reading Sectarian/racist expression and restricting parades to protect the rights of others: implications of Vona v Hungary
Prison Reform; 2013 the year to see change?
RightsNI is delighted to welcome this guest post written by Jacqueline Monahan, Justice and Policing Co-ordinator at the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ). In the past 10 years well over 40 reports and reviews into the prison system have been written by a range of agencies. The same concerns were often repeated…Continue reading Prison Reform; 2013 the year to see change?
EVENT: Hillsborough: The Truth – Phil Scraton
Event announcement Hillsborough: The Truth — Phil Scraton 6pm, Friday 18 January 2013 – No Alibis Bookstore, Botanic Avenue Following publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s Report in September 2012 the impact has been unprecedented: a comprehensive investigation by Independent Police Complaints Commission; a full inquiry by the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning potential for…Continue reading EVENT: Hillsborough: The Truth – Phil Scraton
VIDEO: Securing justice for child abuse victims – Chris Moore
Chris Moore is a campaigning, investigative journalist whose name has become synonymous with the search for truth about organised child abuse in Northern Ireland. In this talk at the RightsNI Live! event from December 11th 2012, he gives a glimpse into some of his investigations, from his work on the Kincora children’s home scandal in the 1980s, serial-abuser…Continue reading VIDEO: Securing justice for child abuse victims – Chris Moore
Death penalty-free world?
We’re winning! That’s not a claim you may hear too often from human rights activists, but in the case of the global struggle against the death penalty, it’s true. The momentum around the world is towards ending executions. The vast majority of countries have now abandoned the death penalty. On the eve of World Day…Continue reading Death penalty-free world?