FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/ Call for Government to invest 0.01% of Budget in Human Rights 7 October 2021 As the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) launches our first ever pre-budget submission, we are calling on the government to ring-fence …
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 …
ICCL submission to the National Anti-Racism Committee
ICCL submission to the National Anti-Racism committee on the development of the new National Action Plan Against Racism
Our thoughts on what the DPC should do over the next 5 years
The Irish Data Protection Commission has a plan for the next five years. Here are our thoughts. The Data Protection Commission of Ireland has invited interested parties to comment on its draft regulatory strategy for the next five years. ICCL’s response …
ICCL says vaccine passports contrary to equality law
2 July 2021 Government has said it intends to bring in a system whereby only people who have been vaccinated will have access to certain indoor settings. ICCL has serious concerns about such a system and the impact it would …
Adopted people must be given access to birth certs
24 June 2021 A new law which proposes to give adopted people access to their birth certs for the first time is very welcome but must be amended so that all falsified birth certs are covered, and so that adoptions from …
ICCL lawsuit takes aim at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and the entire online advertising industry
15 June 2021 Dublin – Online advertising causes the world’s biggest data breach. Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is going to court in Germany to stop it. ICCL’s lawsuit takes aim at Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Verizon, AT&T, and …
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, …
Coalition for Civil Society Freedom submission on ‘Political Purposes’
6 April 2021 ICCL, leading the Coalition for Civil Society Freedom, made a submission to the Department of Housing calling for the removal of the definition of “political purposes” from the Electoral Act 2001. This is because the current definition …
ICCL submission on the Electoral Reform Bill
March 2021 ICCL made a submission to the Department of Housing on the Electoral Reform Bill. We welcome the move to establish an Electoral Commission. With regard to the issue of Political Advertising, ICCL believes that the State must vigorously …
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 submission to the Mother and Baby Homes Redress Scheme
31 March 2021 ICCL submitted a piece to the Restorative Recognition programme for Mother and Baby Homes survivors. We highlighted the human rights obligations on the State which this programme does not reach. We urged the government to learn from …
Government must act democratically as covid emergency eases
19 May 2021 Yesterday Cabinet announced they would seek an extension to the emergency covid legislation until 9 November. This is the bedrock law that allows for restrictions such as stay-at-home orders, mandatory quarantine, and bans on events. The Irish …
Responding to Data Protection Commissioner’s remarks at the Justice Committee Hearing
ICCL testified at the parliamentary Justice Committee about problems at the Data Protection Commission. This note responds to the Data Protection Commissioner’s remarks at that hearing.See video of the full hearing17 May 2021 On 27 April ICCL testified at the …
New US Senate Bill may stop Ireland processing US data, unless Ireland acts on GDPR enforcement
Ireland’s digital sector threatened by a proposed requirement that data protection law must be properly enforced. This afternoon United States Senator Ron Wyden has proposed a new Bill to impose export controls on personal data about people in the US to …
Economic & Reputational Risk of the DPC’s Failure to Uphold EU Data Rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/ Data Protection Commission puts rights of 448 million people at risk, will make Ireland irrelevant as global tech hub, hears Oireachtas Committee 9 April 2021 In nearly 3 years since the GDPR, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) …
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 …
ICCL calls on government to respect rights to protest, worship & family life
29 March 2021 ICCL contacted all TDs and Senators to call on them to protect our fundamental rights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is our call. Ahead of tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting and anticipated announcement regarding the current level of COVID-19 …
Free expression concerns with Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill
11 March 2021 Significant parts of the proposed new legislation on online safety may not meet human rights standards, says the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). The legislation proposes to restrict non-illegal speech online. However, the right to freedom …