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Scots Guards

The judicial decision on whether to allow an early review of the life sentences of the two Scots Guards convicted of the murder of Peter Mc Bride will be announced on Friday, the same day as media attention will focus on the referendum. There are fears that the referendum may be used as a smokescreen to allow for early release of the two, Guardsmen Wright and Fisher. A highly controversial and dishonest campaign has been waged calling for an early release of the two on the basis that they were only 'doing their duty' when they shot Peter in the back as he ran away from an army patrol which had just body searched him. Fisher and Wright have already been granted three judicial reviews of their life sentences. Despite their convictions both men remain members of the British Army. The Centre has requested a meeting with the Armed Forces Minister John Reid who last week met with campaigners for the two men and expressed sympathy for the jailed guardsmen!

Should the Scots Guards be granted an early review on Friday the onus is then on the Life Sentence Review Board to recommend a decision, continued incarceration or early release, to the Secretary of State, Mo Mowlam. The final responsibility lies with Dr Mowlam.

Relatives For Justice

At a press conference in Belfast Relatives For Justice, the organisation representing those murdered by the British Army and RUC, have condemned the attitude of Kenneth Bloomfield, the British Government appointed commissioner tasked with looking at appropriate ways of remembering the victims of the conflict. The report of the victims commission, published last week, totally ignored victims of state violence. Relatives For Justice had met Kenneth Bloomfield in March but were not invited to the launch.

The report gave special mention to members of the security forces who had lost their lives but failed to deal with human rights violations committed by the RUC and British Army. The subsequent appointment of the Security Minister Adam Ingram with special responsibility for victims is unlikely to build confidence given that Mr Ingram rejected the recent call by the United Nations for an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane and the harassment of lawyers. Speaking at the press conference (which the BBC choose to ignore) Fr Raymond Murray said, "Mr Ingram is presently charged with the promotion and safeguarding of the interests of the security forces. It is inconceivable that Mr Ingram could understand or possibly make any contribution to the needs of victims we represent."

In a press statement the Pat Finucane Centre has also criticised the "exclusion of those families who have lost loved ones at the hands of the security forces from the debate surrounding victims." A spokesperson for the Centre said, "last week PM Tony Blair held a high profile meeting with twenty families representing victims of the conflict. No family bereaved at the hands of the RUC or British Army was invited to the meeting. The Northern Ireland Office has confirmed this to us. A spokesperson claimed that the NIO was asked to organise the event "at a late hour" by Downing St. This is hardly an acceptable excuse for the exclusion of all those who have suffered at the hands of the very state represented by the Prime Minister. Does the Prime Minister need to be shielded from those whose children were killed by plastic bullets or those whose loss was compounded by the inevitable cover-up? It would appear that neither the NIO press office nor the civil servants are capable of contacting any of the almost 400 families who have lost loved ones through state violence.
Human rights violations have been committed by all sides during this conflict. That includes the state which has ensured that the rule of law does not apply when the perpetrator is a member of the British Army or RUC. It is regrettable that the NIO and the Victims Commission still chose to ignore that reality.

Dunloy Parade

A parade of the Apprentice Boys in Dunloy passed off peacefully last Sunday following the decision of the Parades Commission to reroute the parade away from the centre of the village. Though angered that any parade had been permitted in the absence of dialogue local residents decided at a public meeting to cancel a planned protest. The RUC, in response to a call from villagers, maintained a low profile.
According to the decision of the Parades Commission none of the Loyal Orders will be allowed any further parades in Dunloy unless they engage in dialogue with local residents.

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Commission on Policing

Reports last week in the Irish News have suggested that the South African lawyer Brian Curran may be appointed to the Commission on Policing whose remit it is to "ensure that policing arrangements, including composition, recruitment, training, culture, ethos and symbols, are such that in a new approach Northern Ireland has a police service that can enjoy widespread support from, and is seen as an integral part of, the community as a whole." (Belfast Agreement, Annex A, p23) According to the press report Mr Curran, who is deeply involved in the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will be one of possibly 6 or 8 appointees who will join former Conservative minister John Patton on the proposed policing commission. The work of the commission will only begin if the coming referendum is passed. The appointment, if confirmed, would be a welcome development from a human rights perspective.

Garvaghy Road Appeal

At a public meeting of residents of the Garvaghy Road in Portadown last week local people voted overwhelmingly to invite others to the area during the period of the Drumcree march. In the past local residents have restricted their protests against the annual parade of the Orange Order to local people. Human rights observers and parliamentarians were welcome to passively observe and report on the situation but not to actively join in the protests. Following the brutal RUC assault on the area last year local people vowed to continue their protests. As a result the decision was taken to invite support from outside.

GAA and Rule 21

Relatives of murdered Tyrone man Aidan Mc Anespie are to meet the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association Joe Mc Donagh. The meeting comes amid furious debate, both internal and external, over rule 21 which bars members of the British security forces from joining the organisation or playing Gaelic games. One of the spin-offs of the peace process has been the demand that rule 21 be removed as a sign of reconciliation, in particular towards the RUC. Given that the RUC has steadfastly refused to admit its own role in the conflict any premature attempt to remove rule 21 before any substantial changes have been made to the nature of policing would be sure to cause serious divisions in the sporting organisation. The family of Aidan Mc Anespie, a GAA member murdered by a British soldier at the Aughnacloy checkpoint in 1988, are hoping, along with other relatives of victims of state violence, to meet the GAA president to argue that the ban should not be scrapped at the specially convened congress of the organisation on May 30.