Human Rights Commission Bill
Covering events from January - December 2000
IRELAND
There were delays in implementing some undertakings arising from the 1998
Multi-Party Agreement. The amended Refugee Act undermines the fundamental
right of people fleeing serious human rights violations to seek asylum.
Human rights aspects of the Multi-Party Agreement
On 31 May the President signed the Human Rights Commission Bill into law, and
shortly afterwards the President of the Commission was appointed. By the end
of 2000 the Commission had not yet started to function. The Commission will
have powers to scrutinize upcoming legislation, to conduct inquiries into
human rights abuses and to take cases to court on behalf of individuals and
groups.
The Irish government failed to produce legislation which would bring into
effect its commitment under the 1998 Multi-Party Agreement to incorporate the
European Convention on Human Rights into Irish law and to ''ensure at least
equivalent level of protection of human rights as will pertain in Northern
Ireland''. AI was concerned that in favouring an ''interpretative''
incorporation of the Convention, the Irish government fell short of meeting
its requirements under the Agreement, as this would not provide people with
full access to the rights in the Convention.
The Review of the Offences Against the State Act(s), which was set up by the
government as part of its undertakings under the Multi-Party Agreement, had
still not reported its findings by the end of 2000. AI had presented a
detailed submission about its concerns to the Review group in October 1999.
http://web.amnesty.org/web/ar2001.nsf/webeurcountries/IRELAND?OpenDocument
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