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)
Category: Policing
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
Council of Europe minority rights report – time to move on Irish language act and end abuse of the ‘good relations’ duty
This week saw the publication of the Fourth Opinion on the UK by the Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for National Minorities. In accordance with the treaty-body procedure the report itself was finalised on the 25 May 2016 but awaited UK government comments before its publication. The report therefore was completed…Continue reading Council of Europe minority rights report – time to move on Irish language act and end abuse of the ‘good relations’ duty
The Border, racial profiling and Irish citizens post BREXIT
An issue which has been aired in the run up to and aftermath of the referendum has been the fate of land border on the island of Ireland. At a level of political rhetoric the position of the Leave campaign was somewhat confusing, majoring on a platform of ‘taking back control’ of UK borders whilst…Continue reading The Border, racial profiling and Irish citizens post BREXIT
You’ll never walk alone – Hillsborough and the Human Rights Act
We are pleased to welcome this guest post from Dr Claire McCann, Human Rights Officer (Rights in Practice) with the Human Rights Consortium. Yesterday was a significant day for the families of those people killed in Hillsborough, who have fought so hard to discover the truth of what happened on that fateful day 27 years…Continue reading You’ll never walk alone – Hillsborough and the Human Rights Act
‘The Impact of the Human Rights Act in Northern Ireland’, Conference Overview
The threat to the Human Rights Act rumbles on, albeit, in muted tones compared to the fanfare of the Conservatives 2014 proposals and now juxtaposed by Michael Gove, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice’s tepid responses to the House of Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee earlier this week, in relation to their inquiry on…Continue reading ‘The Impact of the Human Rights Act in Northern Ireland’, Conference Overview
Independence, Inadmissibility and Information Verification in the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval Proposals- Guest post by Professor Louise Mallinder
On 23 September 2015, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) published a policy paper outlining the measures to be included in the Northern Ireland (Stormont House Agreement) Bill that will be presented to Parliament on 12 October 2015. This Bill will legislate for a number of commitments made by the UK government in the Stormont House…Continue reading Independence, Inadmissibility and Information Verification in the Independent Commission on Information Retrieval Proposals- Guest post by Professor Louise Mallinder
“Just another day in paradise”: the Calais situation
Screenshot from BBC Shorts: “DESPERATE TO GET THROUGH”, BBCshorts.tumblr.com, accessed 3rd August 2015. David Cameron proclaimed this week: “everything that can be done will be done to make sure our borders are secure and make sure that British holidaymakers are able to go on their holidays”. He was commenting as people are injured and dying…Continue reading “Just another day in paradise”: the Calais situation
Could the NI Assembly legislate for the Haass ‘Historic Investigations Unit’?
November 2014 has witnessed some interesting statements. At a TJI conference the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, made it abundantly clear that the UK state cannot wash its hands of its Article 2 obligations by delegating them down to the devolved institutions and refusing to fund them. The Lord Chief Justice,…Continue reading Could the NI Assembly legislate for the Haass ‘Historic Investigations Unit’?
Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival Programme Launched!
Today saw the launch of the programme for the 2014 Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival (NIHRF). The festival, which will take place from 8-13 December, consists of a series of events on a range of human rights issues from home and abroad in celebration of International Human Rights Day on 10 December . All events…Continue reading Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival Programme Launched!
Moazzam Begg: released without charge
Back in February, I wrote at this site about my concern on hearing of the arrest of Moazzam Begg, ex Guantanamo Bay detainee. I had listened to Moazzam speak about his experiences in Belfast in 2009 (my article reporting on his talk at St Mary’s College about his incarceration without charge post 9/11, originally written…Continue reading Moazzam Begg: released without charge