DIRECTOR'S REPORT January 1998

Home Next

January 1998

At last I have a mobile 'phone! The number is 0467 830500. If I can be reached in the office or at home, the mobile will be switched off, but when I am on the move or over in Ireland I can be called on it. If it is switched off you can leave a message for me.

The grave lapse in security at the Maze prison that allowed INLA to murder LVF leader Billy Wright has, as INLA clearly intended, provoked the worst crisis to date in the Northern Ireland peace process, that has led to seven more deaths and fears of more to come. If anything good can be said to have come of these terrible events, it is that yet another of the myths that have obscured the truth about the conflict has bitten the dust. Since the governor of the Maze allowed the cameras inside, and Mo Mowlam's historic visit, no-one can any longer ignore the crucial part that prisoners on both sides play in the process. The situation of prisoners is just one of the issues that we have identified in the package of human rights reforms that we have urged on successive governments since the inception of the peace process. Perhaps now the time has come for another myth to be disposed of, the one that says you cannot talk to terrorists. As Mo Mowlam showed, there are times when you can and must. The recent revelations that "mainstream" loyalists have been involved in recent murders came as no real surprise - the loyalist ceasefire has been more of a figleaf than anyone has wanted to admit for some time now. However, throwing their political representatives out of the talks will benefit no-one, and may wreck what is left of the process. Northern Ireland has been held to ransom by violence, and by repressive measures in response to violence that have made matters worse, for thirty years, and nothing has been resolved. British Irish RIGHTS WATCH has consistently argued that it is vital, in parallel with meaningful and inclusive talks, to have a programme of reforms in Northern Ireland that will convince people that there is a better way and that there is hope. We hope that the government will have the courage to see the situation as more than just one demanding tighter security and that they will have the courage to shatter another myth, the one that says that living up to the human rights standards that are normal in any decent democracy is not negotiable and does not constitute making concessions to anyone; it is just doing what is right.

Hopes that the British Prime Minister would respond last Wednesday to the Irish government's report on Bloody Sunday were dashed when he said that he was still considering the matter. The previous Friday, the Bloody Sunday relatives made plain to the Irish government their fears that the British government was about to announce some form of inquiry that would fall short of their call for a fully independent inquiry with full judicial powers will British, Irish and international input to guarantee its impartiality. It is an open secret that the British Ministry of Defence is against an inquiry altogether, while the Northern Ireland Office appears to understand that unless Bloody Sunday can be resolved there is little hope for the peace process itself. In the meantime, the media, notably Channel 4 News, has been persuading some of the key figures in this tragedy to come forward. Derek Wilford, who was in command of the Paras, has said that the operation "smacked of teaching these people a lesson" but has denied being aware of intelligence that the IRA had agreed to stay away. Frank Lagan, though, he was in charge of the RUC, says that he told Major General Ford and Brigadier MacLellan about these reports. Next Friday is the 26th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Let us hope that the families need wait no longer for a proper inquiry into this catastrophic event.

We have been asked by lawyers acting for Sinn Féin councillor Alex Maskey to supply an affidavit supporting his application to employ a private security firm to assess his security needs, rather than the RUC. Councillor Maskey has fought a long battle for a government grant to pay for security measures to protect him and his family, but is reluctant to allow the RUC into his home because of widespread allegations of collusion between RIC officers and loyalist paramilitaries. An unhappy edge has been added to the case by the near-fatal shooting of one of his relatives in north Belfast yesterday.

We have received some worrying reports that suggest that the CCRC, set up as an agency of last resort to assess claims of miscarriage of justice, is failing to understand the special features of the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland, which has been badly distorted by emergency laws. Together with CAJ we are organising a meeting to discuss with lawyers the extent of these problems before seeking a dialogue with the Commission.

Finally the magistrates' court has ordered Roisin McAliskey's extradition to Germany, after the High Court rules that her absence from court was no bar to an order being made. However, the final decision rests with the Home Secretary. Just before Christmas, British Irish RIGHTS WATCH had a submission to him on her behalf asking him to refuse to extradite her on humanitarian grounds and warning of the possibility that she may suffer a miscarriage of justice. His decision is awaited.

Following the difficulties being experience by Colin Duffy while signing to his bail and in view of threats against his life by loyalists, the High Court has lifted the curfew on him and he need only sign on at an RUC station once a week. We regret to report that the prosecution objected strenuously to the changes in his bail. We continue to be of the belief that the latest charges against him do not stand up to impartial scrutiny and hope that the Director of Public Prosecutions will review his case at the earliest opportunity.

No less than thirty three lawyers in Northern Ireland have signed an open letter to the Secretary of State calling for an end to emergency laws, deprecating abuse of lawyers, and criticising the RUC for acting as if they are above the law. Abuse of lawyers was mentioned in a Channel 4 Dispatches programme transmitted on 15.1.1998, which disclosed widespread anti-Catholic sectarianism within the RUC. Meanwhile, in direct response to the fact-finding mission carried out by the UN's Special Rapporteur on Judges and Lawyers, Dato' Param Cumaraswamy, the Northern Ireland Law Society has invited any of its members who have been abused to report the facts directly to the President of the Society. Dato' Param Cumaraswamy's report will be presented to the UN in April.

A disturbing report on BBC2's Newsnight programme late last year revealed that the police officers involved in the arrest operation in which he was shot while unarmed were shown videos of the IRA bombing of Canary Wharf shortly before setting out on the operation. The piece also included a police tape recording made during the operation in which occupants of the room can clearly be heard saying that they are unarmed and offering no resistance. We have given advice to the Diarmuid O'Neill campaign concerning their attempts to establish that he was killed needlessly.

We have just produced our second bulletin on what has been happening in parliament concerning Northern Ireland. This edition covers the period October to December 1997. We have already sent copies to the NGOs with whom we work most closely, but if anyone else would like a copy, please let us know.

Many thanks to volunteer Patricia Wheeler for her help with office administration this month.

We also had the pleasure of a short internship by Erica Wald from the USA, who helped in the production of our parliamentary bulletin and worked on pour chronology of events in Northern Ireland.

After a year's hard work in between more exciting tasks, we have now revamped our filing system, which contains over 2,000 separate categories containing hundreds of thousands of items. With so much data around, a good system of control is vital if we are to be able to respond to requests for information - which come in all the time - quickly and accurately. Now all we have to do is find the time to keep on top of filing new items into the system…

For Peace Justice & Human Rights

Home Next

Site last updated 21 March, 2002 | ITSUVO |