Press Release
Smith Hearing on N. Ireland Good Friday Agreement Addresses Need for Accountability for Past OffensesWitnesses Endorse H. Res. 777 Promoting Full Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement
Although the Good Friday Agreement, signed 20 years ago on April 10, established a foundation for peace and justice for the future of Northern Ireland, critical parts of the agreement have not been fully implemented to this day, a hearing by the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), found on Thursday.
Although the Good Friday Agreement, signed 20 years ago on April 10, established a foundation for peace and justice for the future of Northern Ireland, critical parts of the agreement have not been fully implemented to this day, a hearing by the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) found on Thursday. A strong rejection of a recent British proposal to institute a statute of limitations on cases involving abuses by British soldiers during the “Troubles,” as well as calls to re-appoint a U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland were two of the main themes at the hearing. “The signing of the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago was truly historic, extraordinarily difficult to achieve, a remarkable framework for peace and the hoped-for beginning of reconciliation,” stated Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who chaired the hearing on “The Good Friday Agreement at 20: Achievements and Unfinished Business.” Some of the successful results of the historic Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement included prisoner releases, police reform, British demilitarization of Northern Ireland, and the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, Smith said at the hearing. “However, serious obstacles still remain to achieving peace in the region, including the lack of accountability for abuses committed during the ‘Troubles’ including collusion by the British government in murders committed,” said Smith who has held 16 hearings and markups on the issue since 1997. “Many conflict-related deaths, injuries, and abuses have not been adequately dealt with,” Smith stated. This failure of accountability has been marked by the UK government’s insistence on a national security exemption in investigations and inquiries into past acts of violence committed, and by a recent plan by the UK government to introduce a “statute of limitations” on cases involving British soldiers during the “Troubles,” in its consultation on the Stormont House Agreement Bill. “The ongoing impunity sends a signal of ongoing disrespect for the human rights and dignity of people in Northern Ireland, particularly from the Irish community, as no one imagines that British security services would be given impunity for crimes committed against British subjects in England,” Smith stated. Brian Gormally, Director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, stated at the hearing that the British government’s recent proposal for a statute of limitations on past cases involving British soldiers “effectively means a selective amnesty for crimes committed by British soldiers. The Committee also suggested that it be extended to the RUC and other security force members. This position is, of course, completely contrary to human rights standards and, were it enacted, would probably be found unlawful by the courts.” [To read Gormally’s full testimony, click here.] The U.S. must continue to support and guide the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement, and the Administration can show this foremost by appointing a new Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, the Honorable James F. McKay III stated on behalf of the Ancient Order of Hibernians at the hearing. “This is an extremely critical time for Northern Ireland, and as political parties continue to attempt to form a sustainable government while addressing the fears and anxieties of Brexit, we believe that America must reaffirm through the presence of a Special Envoy that the peace and well-being of the community of the North of Ireland is still a priority to the U.S.,” Judge McKay stated. [To read Judge McKay’s full testimony, click here.] Smith’s resolution, H. Res. 777, includes a call for the U.S. Secretary of State to appoint a Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Witnesses at the hearing insisted upon the need for police reform and accountability for crimes committed during the “Troubles,” including collusion by the British government. Mark Thompson of the group Relatives for Justice noted the practice of former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police officers transferring over to the current Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and holding senior civilian positions where they can control investigations that families of victims of the “Troubles” are advocating for. “Taken together with the position of the PSNI moreover on legacy, this has had a corrosive effect on nationalist confidence in policing which is now at an all-time low,” Thompson testified. [To read Thompson’s full testimony, click here.] Political tensions, the incompetence of the Northern Ireland government, and Brexit have been major contributors to the current “dangerous” situation, Gormally stated. “In terms of where we are going forward,” he said, “we are in a situation of many unknowns. It’s a situation of flux, it’s probably the most unstable time in many ways since the Good Friday Agreement was made, and we really do not know what’s happening.” Smith has previously chaired hearings on the need to establish a public, independent, judicial inquiry into state-sponsored collusion in the murder of human rights attorney and activist Pat Finucane. The inquiry was a subject of discussion at Thursday’s hearing. “My family has campaigned for a public inquiry into Pat’s murder but the British Government has repeatedly failed to establish one,” Geraldine Finucane, wife of Pat Finucane, stated in her written testimony for the hearing. “Instead, they have instigated one confined investigation after another, claiming to want to ‘examine the facts’ or ‘get to the truth’ but always in a process conducted away from public view.” [To read Finucane's full testimony, click here.] Witnesses also praised Congressman Smith and other Members for holding hearings on the Agreement and on the need for accountability and justice for wrongs committed in Northern Ireland during the “Troubles.” “We would like to commend this Commission for holding this hearing and to support the resolution that has been put to Congress,” Gormally stated. “I want to put on record the crucially important international forum these hearings provide to families and NGO’s engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights,” Thompson stated. |