Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the U.S. Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE or U.S. Helsinki Commission), and co-chair of the U.S. Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs, will hold a congressional hearing of the Helsinki Commission Wednesday on the progress for peace and justice in Northern Ireland.
The hearing, entitled “Prerequisites for Progress in Northern Ireland,” will be held Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 2 p.m. in Room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
After decades of political violence, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement began a new era of improved security and the promise of both reform and accountability to ensure lasting peace. The hearing will look at current challenges to full implementation of the agreement and the action that is necessary for continued confidence and progress in the peace process. This will include an examination of various mechanisms presently available for addressing past abuses and suggestions for moving forward, including in the case of murdered human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane.
The following witnesses are scheduled to testify:
- Geraldine Finucane, widow of murdered human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane
- Christopher Stanley, British-Irish Rights Watch
- Mark Thompson, Director, Relatives for Justice
