|
|
FEBRUARY
2001IRELAND BACKS CALL FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO MURDER OF ROSEMARY NELSON
On 20th February I travelled to Dublin to meet the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, together with members of Rosemary Nelson’s family and the Committee on the Administration of Justice. He announced that the Irish government is now backing the call for an independent public inquiry into the murder of the Lurgan solicitor in March 1999. Their support was warmly welcomed by the family and by NGOs.
COMPLAINT TO POLICE OMBUDSMAN
We have provided a statement to the office of the Police Ombudsman concerning CAJ’s complaint against the Chief Constable of the RUC for his failure to act properly when Rosemary Nelson received death threats.
JOINT COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Following the incorporation
into domestic law of the European Convention on Human Rights, parliament has
set up a Joint Committee on Human Rights.
We welcome this committee and were glad to respond to their consultation
exercise concerning issues they should be examining.
THOMAS GREEN
Thomas Green, a Protestant, was convicted of the murder in
1986 of Catholic John O'Neill and sentenced to life imprisonment.
He was held for three days after his arrest in Castlereagh, where he
alleges that he was assaulted, abused and confused until he made a false confession.
On the second day of his detention he suffered a seizure and had to be
rushed to hospital, where he was found to have suffered a sudden drop in his
blood sugar level, a condition associated with acute anxiety. Last year the Criminal Cases Review Commission referred his
case back to the Court of Appeal. Now
the RUC has announced that two of its officers are to be prosecuted for perjury,
which will delay the hearing of Thomas Green’s new appeal.
unwarranted
attack on birw
During a debate on human rights in the Northern Ireland Grand Committee on 8th February 2001 Roy Beggs MP described British Irish Rights Watch as “republican apologists”. Such remarks are covered by parliamentary privilege, so we cannot sue for defamation. We have written to Roy Beggs demanding an apology and copied our letter to all the members of the committee. Unfortunately, this was just a minor example of a series of attacks on human rights groups by unionist politicians in recent weeks. As we pointed out in our letter, such attacks may deter Protestants from coming to groups like ours for advice, and these politicians are doing their own constituents a grave disservice.
DEROGATION LIFTED
The UK has finally lifted its derogation from Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was necessitated by the fact that the UK did not want to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Brogan v UK concerning prolonged detention under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act. The reason for lifting the derogation is the coming into force on 19th February of the Terrorism Act, which contains a mechanism for judicial sanction of prolonged detention. It remains to be seen whether this provision stands up to challenges under the Human Rights Act.
ADALAH
On 1st February I met with representatives of
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority
Rights in Israel. In early October
2000, violent clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinian citizens
of Israel. The police killed 13
Palestinians
ENGLISH LAW SOCIETY REMAINS CONCERNED ABOUT LAWYERS’ SAFETY
On 21st February I briefed the Human Rights Committee of the Law Society of England & Wales on the situation of defence lawyers in Northern Ireland. It was heartening to find their concern for their colleagues is still very much alive. Following a constructive dialogue they resolved to explore with their counterparts in Ireland the possibility of joint work to support lawyers under threat.
BILLY WRIGHT
On 26th February Billy Wright’s father, David Wright won a judicial review against the coroner over his refusal to let him see the depositions of certain prison staff whom the coroner originally intended to call as witnesses but who did not actually testify at the inquest. This case potentially sets an important precedent under the Human Rights Act for disclosure to relatives in other cases. It may also take David Wright a step nearer in his quest for justice concerning his son’s death. Our thanks to Katie Wiik for acting as our observer at the court hearing.
INJUNCTION AGAINST THE SUNDAY TIMES
The Sunday Times was in court in the week of 19th February to challenge the injunction taken out against it by the Ministry of Defence, who sought to suppress the paper’s coverage about the Force Research Unit, the unit within British army intelligence that British Irish Rights Watch has alleged was responsible for a number of deaths, including that of Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane. Judgment was reserved. Thanks to Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh for observing this hearing on our behalf.
MEETING WITH THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSIONER FOR THE HOLDING CENTRES
On 8th February I met Dr William Norris, the new Commissioner for the Holding Centres, and his assistant Trevor French to discuss his role and issues arising out of detentions at Gough Barracks, the only centre still in use.
LIFE SENTENCES
We have submitted detailed comments to the Northern Ireland Office on the draft Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001 and Life Sentence Commissioners Rules.
NIO EQUALITY SCHEME
We have also submitted detailed comments on the Northern Ireland Office’s equality scheme, which is designed to enable them to evaluate the impact on equality issues of their policies and practices. Our response has led to an invitation to meet them to discuss our concerns.
united
nations human rights committee
On 13th February I attended a meeting organised by Liberty to co-ordinate NGO input to the consideration by the Un Human Rights Committee of the UK’s latest report on its observance of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which will take place later this year.
united
nations COMMISSION ON human rights
On 27th February I attended a briefing organised by the United Nations Association at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Audrey Glover, the head of the UK delegation, met with a variety of NGOs to discuss the forthcoming meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights, which meets in Geneva next month.
SUPPORT FOR OUR WORK
We are very pleased to acknowledge a substantial private donation towards the cost of our work over the next three years.
BLOODY SUNDAY
In 24th February I travelled to Derry for a meeting between the Bloody Sunday and solicitor Imran Kahn to discuss the possibility of the Trust making representations to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
WELCOME TO BLINNE
We are delighted to welcome Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh as an intern. Blinne will be working on rationalising our files on the peace process and helping us to make submissions to the United Nations, among other things.
Jane Winter,
Director,
28th February 2001.
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
