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Human Rights Developments Defending Human Rights The Role of the International Community The Role of the International CommunityUnited Nations On April 1, 1998, the U.N. special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers issued a report finding that the RUC engaged in activities which constitute intimidation, harassment, [and] hindrance of defense lawyers in the course of their professional duties. The report called for an independent inquiry into the 1989 loyalist paramilitary killing of prominent defense lawyer Patrick Finucanewho received death threats from the RUC prior to his murderand for authorities to conduct an independent investigation of all threats to legal counsel. To the dismay of rights groups, the U.K. governments lengthy written response appeared to justify the very conditions that give rise to lawyer intimidation and impunity for police officers. The government failed to implement even one of the reports recommendations. Council of Europe In June 1998, the Council of Europes Parliamentary Assembly passed a resolution welcoming the Multi-Party Agreement and noting that its human rights provisionsincluding incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the proposal for a bill of rightswere instrumental in ensuring broad support for the accord. United States President Clinton remained closely involved in the multi-party negotiations that led to the peace agreement. In a September 3, 1998, speech in Northern Ireland, the president set benchmarks for a new Northern Ireland that included police reform and respect for human rights. On September 29, 1998, the House Sub-Committee on International Operations and Human Rights held meetings and a hearing on the intimidation of defense lawyers in Northern Ireland. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Param Cumaraswamy informally met with the subcommittee to present the findings of his report. In March 1998, the U.S. Congress passed a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that all parties to the multiparty peace talks regarding Northern Ireland should condemn violence and fully integrate internationally recognized human rights standards and adequately address outstanding human rights violations as part of the peace process. The U.K. section of the U.S. State Departments Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1997 addressed many human rights issues of concern to nongovernmental organizations, including Roisin McAliskeys ill-treatment; the renewed controversy over fresh evidence of security force misconduct in the Bloody Sunday case; allegations of police intimidation of defense lawyers and collusion in the Finucane murder; the indiscriminate firing of defective plastic bullets by police during the 1997 marching season; criticisms leveled at the U.K. by various U.N. human rights bodies; and serious problems with accountability mechanisms in Northern Ireland. Relevant Human Rights Watch report: |
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