7 December 2021 A new Bill to introduce a general power of arrest and to remove the 24-hour limit to detention for questioning will come before the Oireachtas Justice Committee on Wednesday. The Bill will seek to limit access to …
ICCL sends briefing on new legislation to Oireachtas
3 December 2021 Ahead of an emergency Cabinet meeting on COVID-19, and following new advice from NPHET and new legislation rushed through the Dáil, ICCL sent a briefing to all Oireachtas members. In it we raise four primary concerns with …
Defence Rights in Evidentiary Proceedings
In 2021 ICCL wrapped up its work on DREP, a European wide project funded by the EU Justice Programme and coordinated by Fair Trials International. DREP took an in-depth look at defence rights in evidentiary procedures and gathered knowledge about …
ICCL Policing Reports
A Human Rights Based Approach to Policing On 14 September 2018 ICCL launched a report by the former human rights advisor to thePolicing Board of Northern Ireland, Alyson Kilpatrick, on why and how a human rights basedapproach to Garda reform …
ICCL submission to the Judicial Planning Working Group
The low number of judges per capita in Ireland has led to lengthy delays in the justice system.
ICCL welcomes government commitments on torture and enforced disappearances
11 November 2021 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has welcomed commitments from government on preventing torture and ensuring justice for enforced disappearances. Yesterday the government made these commitments to an audience of its peers at the UN Human Rights …
ICCL: Special Criminal Court a fundamental denial of Constitutional rights to a fair trial
2 November 2021 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties says the Special Criminal Court presents an insuperable obstacle to the right to a fair trial. As we publish our submission to the Independent Review Group on the Offences Against the …
Donegal abuse could and should have been prevented: ICCL
28 October 2021 Human rights group the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said the longstanding abuse which took place at St Joseph’s Community Hospital and the Ard Gréine Court complex could and should have been prevented by a …
Rights group says strengthening of oversight essential to garda reform
15 October 2021 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is set to tell the Oireachtas Justice Committee that proposals for improved garda oversight are essential to the garda reform process and must not be watered down. Proposals on the …
The Special Criminal Court must be abolished
The Special Criminal Court is unacceptable. It has no place in a democracy. The Court deviates from nearly all of the fair trial norms that one would expect of a country which holds human rights as key values. It allows …
Special Criminal Court: denying fair trial rights for half a century
23 June 2021 The Special Criminal Court continues to continues to represent the single biggest denial of fair trial rights in our legal system, according to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). As the legislation in which it is based, the …
ICCL to tell Justice Committee covid measures concentrate too much power in one pair of hands
22 June 2021 Representatives from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) are set to appear before the Oireachtas Justice Committee today. In a statement, the organisation said that it was disappointed that the government had chosen not to accept …
Government should have as little discretion as possible in judicial appointments: ICCL
14 June 2021 The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) will tell the Oireachtas Justice Committee that the proposed Judicial Appointments Bill does not go far enough in ensuring transparency in the judicial appointments process. ICCL’s Executive Director Liam Herrick, …
ICCL submission to Policing Strategy
7 April 2021 ICCL made a submission to An Garda Síochána’s call for submissions on their 2022-24 Strategy. We reiterated the importance of putting people and their rights at the centre of policing. We describe some key human rights concerns …
ICCL submission on the Mental Health Act
4 April 2021 ICCL made a submission to the public consultation on updating the Mental Health Act. We recommend the repeal of some sections in order to better protect human rights, including the section which dispenses with some safeguards during …
ICCL write to An Garda: full report needed after June Bank Holiday baton charge policing
8 June 2021 ICCL has written to An Garda Síochána, the Policing Authority, and the Department of Justice following disturbing scenes in Dublin over the June Bank Holiday. Given video footage and bystander reports of gardaí baton charging crowds, using …
Call for review of emergency legislation, as well as guidelines for protest and worship
28 April 2021 Ahead of the anticipated loosening of restrictions the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said government should outline a plan for a rights-based review of the emergency legislation on which those restrictions are based. The emergency …
Hillsborough researcher says Ireland’s coroner system is failing families
21 April 2021 The system of investigating deaths in contested or unexplained circumstances in Ireland has been described as “not fit for purpose” by Queen’s University’s Professor Phil Scraton, who headed the research for the Hillsborough Independent Panel. Speaking at …
Left Out in the Cold
ICCL presents a new report on Ireland’s system of investigating deaths. We find serious failings which compound grief and suffering. Wednesday 21st April – 11am We all hope that when a loved one dies, they go peacefully. If they do …
New wide-ranging human rights report to UN hits out at government Covid-19 response
8 April 2021 A coalition of human rights organisations led by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has submitted a wide-ranging and critical report to the UN Human Rights Council. The organisations are particularly critical of the lack of …