Rep.Smith Opens Human Rts Hearings/Ireland Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Mon, 13 Oct 1997 21:46:52 +0000 source: Paddy Newell Note: If you would like a copy of the testimony of any witnesses please email me at: sinnfein@erols.com The testimonies will be available by the end of the week. Congress of the United States House of Representative Washington, DC Opening Statement of Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) Chairman, Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights October 9, 1997 The purpose of this hearing is to hear testimony on the importance of human rights as a central element of the peace process in Northern Ireland. I recently returned from a five-day fact-finding and human rights mission to Northern Ireland. I had numerous meetings with community groups and individuals on all sides of the conflict. I met with British officials including Secretary of State Mo Mowlam and Royal Ulster Constabulary Chief Constable Ronnie Flanagan. I also met with representatives from all of the major political parties and visited two prisons: the Maze (formerly Long Kesh), which holds those convicted of political crimes; and Castlereagh, an interrogation center where political prisoners have been held without charge for days and interrogated without regard for their rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to consult with an attorney. I was encouraged by my meeting with Secretary Mowlam, who demonstrated a clear understanding of the problems and a genuine commitment to address human rights abuses in Northern Ireland. Similarly, I was pleased with my meeting with Bob Cooper of the Fair Employment Commission (FEC). While the FEC has much more work to do in eliminating discrimination against Catholics in the workplace, it is clear that the message of the MacBride Principles campaign in the United States has been heard and has had an impact. In meetings with political leaders including Gerry Adams of Sinn Fiin, the Social Democratic and Labor Partys (SDLP) Alex Attwood and, on the other end of the spectrum, David Ervine of the Progressive Unionist Party and Gary McMichael of the Ulster Democratic Party, it was evident that these leaders have a vested interest in securing real progress at the multi-party peace talks. I stressed that the American public has no tolerance for terrorist attacks and punishment beatings orchestrated by paramilitary groups on both sides and that the U.S. Congress is only interested in helping those who seek to resolve their differences through non-violent means. All the leaders seemed to agree that the guarantee of fundamental human rights should be at the center of the talks and not just a "bargaining chip" for one party or another. My most disappointing sessions were with the RUC Ronnie Flanagan and Lord Chief Justice Sir Robert Carswell. Both men head up departments, police and judiciary respectively, which have been severely criticized by human rights groups the world over. Both men remained in a state of denial, refusing to admit that human rights abuses take place in their agencies. It was easy to see why so few in the Catholic community have any confidence in the ability of the police or judiciary to make meaningful reforms on their own. The reforms in these departments will have to come from external pressures and sources. Visiting Belfast, it was evident that central to the conflict in Northern Ireland has been the failure of the government to guarantee an equal protection of rights to both the Protestant and Catholic communities, especially to the Catholic minority. The central responsibility for protecting rights and maintaining the rule of law belongs to the government -- in this case the British government. In the past, the government has failed in this regard and abuses have exacerbated the problem. When a government or its officials resort to methods that are illegal, unjust, or inhumane, even when these methods are seemingly directed against the guilty or the dangerous, the effect is not to preserve law and order but to undermine it. The main purpose of the hearing this Subcommittee held in June, and of my trip to Ireland in August, was to spotlight the abuses in Northern Ireland so that eliminating them will become a central component of any peace agreement. No peace will be lasting or just if the abuse of fundamental human rights is not stopped. Unfortunately, not event the best intentions guarantee that any agreement will genuinely protect human rights. In peace processes around the world -- most recently in Bosnia and in Guatemala -- we have seen that the atmosphere at these negotiations, the pressure to get an agreement and the reluctance to reopen old wounds, can have the unfortunate side-effect of making human rights an afterthought rather than a central element of the agreement. Before there can be forgiveness and reconciliation, there must be truth-telling and full disclosure. The victims of human rights abuses, and the families of these victims, are entitled to know the truth about what happened to them and to their loved ones, and they need to know the truth if they are ever to forgive. While truth commissions and similar institutions may help people on all sides to come to terms with past violations of human rights, it is perhaps even more important to guarantee such rights for the future. A Bill of Rights, including guarantees of the right against self-incrimination, the right to counsel, and the right to a speedy and public trial, is important to the people of Northern Ireland, and should be a part of any agreement. Our witnesses today represent human rights organizations in Northern Ireland, in Great Britain, and in the United States. They are known and respected both for their expertise with respect to the situation in Northern Ireland and for their commitment to fundamental principles of law and justice. I look forward to hearing their testimony. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-10.15.97-17:43:37-13633