The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has warmly welcomed reports that the new Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Brian Lenihan, TD does not plan to proceed with the Criminal Law (Defence of Life and Property) Bill 2007.
Since its publication in March 2007, this draft legislation has been strongly criticised by the ICCL as an unlawful attempt to grant “a licence to kill” to householders.
Mr. Mark Kelly, Director of the ICCL, said that:
“The Irish Council for Civil Liberties warmly welcomes the fact that reason has prevailed, and the Minister has decided to revoke this unlawful licence to kill. By raising the stakes for burglars, this Bill placed householders at even greater risk, and flouted Ireland’s international human rights obligations. As the new Minister has emphasised, Irish law already provides a perfectly adequate framework within which the courts can decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not the degree of force used in particular case was lawful, necessary and proportionate”.
“The ICCL hopes that a similarly judicious approach will now be adopted as regards some of the other misguided proposals to “re-balance” our criminal justice system mooted during the dying days of the last Dáil.”