NI: Human Rights
01 January 1992
The Committee on the Administration of Justice and Amnesty International made submissions to the United Nations Committee Against Torture and Other Degrading Treatment or Punishment in November. The submissions focused on continuing concern about RUC treatment of suspects in interrogation centres. One member of the UN body described the seven-day detention powers as extraordinary and criticised the lack of access to solicitors as well as British government resistance to the videoing of interviews. Robert Morris, responding for the government, argued that current powers were necessary while terrorism remained a real threat, although the PTA was regularly reviewed. The RUC Chief Constable in a statement issued prior to the UN hearings denied that there was any genuine cause for public concern: "Any area of police success will be targeted by the paramilitary organisations with a campaign of spurious complaints and propaganda by them and their political bedfellows." Meanwhile a firm of Belfast solicitors has revealed that in the 18 month period up to March 1991, it has represented 58 clients seeking compensation for ill- treatment in Castlereagh interrogation centre. The firm had secured a total of £134,000 in compensation payments for its clients.
Paul O'Dwyer, the New York City Commissioner to the United Nations has resigned from his post. His decision was announced on Irish Human Rights Day, 9th December, and was taken in protest at continuing human rights abuses in the North of Ireland.
The law which abolishes the right to silence, the Criminal Evidence (NI) Order 1988, is to be challenged in the House of Lords. Under the Order, Judges are permitted to draw a negative inference from a suspect's failure to answer questions or appear in a witness box. Kevin Murray lost an appeal in October against an 18 year sentence for attempting to murder a member of the UDR. Justice Kelly drew an adverse inference from Murray's failure to go into the witness box to counter the prosecution's forensic evidence yet in his judgement he stated that a trial of fact must not assume guilt from an accused's election not to testify.
Irish News, 12.11.91; 14.11.91; 9.12.91; AP/RN 28.11.91; Human Rights in Northern Ireland, A Submission by CAJ to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, February 1991.