The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has responded to a new initiative by Justice Minister Dermot Ahern TD by calling for a far better deal for victims of crime.
Speaking shortly after the Minister’s press conference today, ICCL Director Mark Kelly said: “The changes that the Minister has proposed would diminish the rights of accused people without improving life for victims of crime. It is a fallacy that taking liberties from accused persons can enhance the lives of victims. If the Government is genuinely interested in advancing the situation of victims then it must adopt a rights-based approach, including a statutory charter for victims of crime.”
“Instead, Minister Ahern has chosen to market as ‘pro-victim’ a series of half-baked measures limiting the rights of accused persons. Victims deserve a far better deal than this. In a fair criminal justice system the rights of victims and accused alike should be primary considerations”
The ICCL has proposed a positive alternative to the Minister’s proposal in the form of the ICCL Charter of Rights for the Victims of Crime. The Charter, based on international human rights law principles, sets out the manner in which the government should protect and promote the rights of crime victims, in particular the rights to: Information, Protection, Privacy, Participation, Remedy and Respect.