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UN Slams Britain’s Human Rights Record

31/07/08

A major United Nation’s committee report has criticised the British government for breaches of civil and political rights in the Six Counties.

In direct reference to several inquiries into high profile murders, the UN Human Rights Committee recommended “as a matter of particular urgency given the passage of time, independent and impartial inquiries in order to ensure a full, transparent and credible account of the circumstances surrounding violations of the right to life in Northern Ireland (sic)”.

The United Nation’s Human Rights Committee examined British government policies under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The Committee was in session in Geneva, Switzerland between July 7 and July 25. Its report containing its final observations was released for general distribution on July 21.

Several NGOs had previously made representations to the UN HRC, highlighting a number of human rights concerns.

A number of concerns and recommendations officially expressed to the British by the UN related to several inquiries into high-profile murders, including those of Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson.

The UN Committee expressed its concerns that, a considerable time after murders (including of human rights defenders) had occurred in the Six Counties, several inquiries into these murders have still not been established or concluded, and that those responsible for these deaths have not yet been prosecuted.

Even where inquiries have been established, the Committee was concerned that instead of being under the control of an independent judge, several of these inquiries operate in a manner which allows the British government minister who established an inquiry to control important aspects of that inquiry. This clearly calls into question the supposed independence of ongoing inquiries, such as those into the murders of Rosemary Nelson and Robert Hamill.

The UN HRC was also critical of the fact that non-jury Diplock courts are to operate indefinitely in the Six Counties, when the British should, in fact, be moving towards their abolition. In particular, the Committee expressed concern that, under the Justice and Security (NI) Act 2007, persons whose cases are certified by the Director of Public Prosecutions are tried in the absence of a jury.

It was also concerned that there is no right of appeal against the DPP decision. The Committee recommended that persons should have a right to challenge such decisions.

éirígí spokesperson Seán Mac Brádaigh said: “It is not surprising that the British government's failure to adhere to proper human rights standards in the Six Counties should be criticised by a such a prominent, international forum like the UN HRC.

“Indeed, it is no surprise that a government which directed its forces and agents to murder hundreds of Irish civilians should now be publicly and internationally criticised for its ongoing attempts to cover-up its role in those murders.

“This UN report refers to, among others, the murders of human rights solicitors, Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson. Their murders are just two examples of what the British government has been prepared to do in Ireland in order to further its own ends. The constant moving of inquiry parameters is now correctly viewed internationally as an act which compounds those human rights abuses.

“The British government has shattered the lives of many families by aiding the assassination of their loved ones and consistently thwarting attempts to uncover the truth – a fact now recognised by the UN.

“This recommendation from the UN has repercussions for the British government and puts a question mark over the value of the Eames/Bradley initiative, which is due to publish a report in September.

Mac Brádaigh concluded: “It is ironic that there has been very little media reporting or political comment on the findings of the UN Committee, given the fact that one of the Committee's recommendations was that the British should widely publicise the text of the report.”

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