Directors Report June 1999

June 1999

The Parades Commission made the right decision in banning the Orange Order's march from the Garvaghy Road this coming weekend. However, as they pointed out, whatever their decision it is likely that there will be widespread disruption and violence in the next few days. We also agree with their analysis that, "The success or otherwise of the Orangemen to walk down the Garvaghy Road is now viewed by many as a touchstone to the wider political situation in Northern Ireland." Once again, the Drumcree march takes place against the background of a vacuum in the peace process. If the last-ditch talks taking place at the moment fail, violence will inevitably rush in to fill that vacuum. As has been the case throughout the peace process, there is nothing that anyone of good will can say or do unless all those involved in the process genuinely want it to succeed. Sadly, it appears that there are still elements who are prepared to pay the price in other people's lives and to run the risk of plunging Northern Ireland back into conflict, rather than learning to live with one another, despite the clearly expressed desire of the majority for peace and stability.

I am delighted to report that we have received support for a second year from the Ruben and Elisabeth Rausing Trust, who have made us a grant of £14,450. We are very grateful to them, not only for the money but also for their confidence in us.

On 24th June 1999 UFF member Billy Stobie appeared in court charged with the murder of Patrick Finucane. Information about him was included in our confidential February report, which was passed by the RUC Chief Constable to John Stevens. It is rumoured that other arrests will follow. When he appeared in court, Stobie claimed that he had been a paid RUC Special Branch informer. He said that he had told the RUC that named UFF members were about to kill a high profile target, although he claims he did not know that Patrick Finucane was the intended victim. Further revelations in the Sunday Tribune by journalist Ed Moloney suggest that Stobie also told the RUC that the murderers were about to move the weapons used in the shooting and that the RUC followed the killers but did not arrest them.

As has continually been the case over the years, these latest revelations raise at least as many questions as they answer. It now appears that not only was the person who was targeting UFF victims for murder in the late 1980s, Brian Nelson, employed by the British army, but the quartermaster who was supplying the weapons for those murders, Billy Stobie, was a Special Branch informer who described himself in open court as "a paid Crown agent from 1987 to 1990". Only an independent judicial inquiry can establish how many people were killed as a result of the actions of these and other agents of the state, who authorised their actions, and how many of those deaths could have been prevented.

A BBC television Panorama programme, Careless Talk, which also featured the murders of Patrick Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, has brought to light new information about the murder of Samuel Marshall, a republican who was murdered by loyalists in 1990 while attending Lurgan RUC station to sign on for bail. The programme by journalist John Ware alleged that a security force car spotted at the scene contained members of the British army intelligence service, whose role in the event, and whose failure to prevent the murder, have yet to be explained.

We continue to monitor the police investigation into the murder of Rosemary Nelson. The Panorama programme mentioned above exposed the unacceptable attitude of some RUC officers towards solicitors in Northern Ireland, and featured a long interview with the RUC Chief Constable, whose protestations that he does not share those attitudes were unconvincing. We and other NGOs attended a meeting in Belfast with members of the Rosemary Nelson Campaign this month to offer them advice and assistance.

The High Court in London has ruled that all soldiers who fired shots on Bloody Sunday are entitled to anonymity. This is a serious blow to the credibility and independence of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which is appealing the decision next month. Our thanks to Clare Brown for acting as our observer at this hearing.

On 17th June I met with four members of the new Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. We discussed a number of issues, including their plans for consultation on the Bill of Rights, attempted intimidation of defence lawyers, and dealing with the past. It was agreed to meet regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern.

I attended a conference in Belfast on 16th June on the impact of the Human Rights Act, which incorporates most of the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law as of 2nd October 2000, on Northern Ireland's criminal justice system. The conference was organised by the Northern Ireland Office for the legal profession, and we are grateful to them for offering us a free place.

On 17th June I attended an excellent seminar in Belfast, organised by CAJ and the trade union UNISON, on the European Social Charter. One of the lessons I took away from the meeting was the importance of including social and economic rights in Northern Ireland's forthcoming Bill of Rights.

On 24th June I had the pleasure of a visit from Bennett Freeman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the American Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. I briefed him on current human rights issues in Northern Ireland, and found him to be very well informed.

This month I have taught a session on using the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations at a conference organised by Justice and environmental groups, and met with a student from the Institute of Commonwealth Studies to discuss her dissertation on the role of UN Special Rapporteurs.

26th June each year has been designated by the United Nations as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The abolition of torture is one of British Irish RIGHTS WATCH's charitable objects. On 29th June I attended an event organised by the Law Society and the Redress Trust to mark the day, which was addressed by Sir Nigel Rodney, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. He reminded us that most torture in the world is carried out by agents of the state, who only feel enabled to torture people because governments grant them impunity. Much the same can be said of collusion in Northern Ireland.

Owing to the coming to an end of the lease in our present premises, British Irish RIGHTS WATCH is moving from its office in central London to larger offices in Clapham South. Although we are sorry to be leaving our first official home, the move will enable us to organise our work more effectively. Details of our new address and other contact details will be circulated soon.

Jane Winter,
Director,
30th June 1999.

For Peace Justice & Human Rights

Site last updated 21 March, 2002 | ITSUVO |