Brexit will have detrimental consequences for the peace process in Northern Ireland and will weaken human rights and equality protections, according to six interlinked reports unveiled by BrexitLawNI. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), BrexitLawNI is a research partnership between human rights experts from CAJ and researchers from the Schools of Law...

CAJ has criticised the decision taken by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today to refuse a request to re-examine the ‘Hooded Men’ case in its Grand Chamber. The case concerns the ‘interrogation in depth’ of the Hooded Men during their internment in 1971. While detained without charge or trial, these 14 men were...

It was confirmed before the High Court on Friday that Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has officially rescinded it’s ‘English-only’ policy for street signs. CAJ had long argued the Council’s policy was unlawful. In March 2018, we wrote to the Council setting out our concerns. The Council’s eventual U-turn came about in response to local...

Due to Brexit, plans have been made to redistribute the UK’s 73 MEP seats at the European Parliament. As a result, Ireland will gain an additional two seats. In preparation for this major change, an independent committee has been established by the Irish government to review the current MEP constituencies in Ireland. A period of...

CAJ’s Deputy Director, Daniel Holder, has given an interview to the multimedia news platform, Meon Eile, about the reported U-turn by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council over its ‘English-only’ policy for street signs. This policy was introduced in February 2018 after a request was made by Abbeyville Residents Association in Newtownabbey to have a small...

Responding to reports that two journalists have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of a confidential report from the Police Ombudsman, which was used in a recent documentary on the Loughinisland massacre, No Stone Unturned, Brian Gormally, Director of CAJ, said: “The arrest of journalists because of their work is always a concern,...

A joint QUB/UU/CAJ team has published a detailed response to the latest proposals for addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past. The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has been seeking views on a draft legacy bill for Northern Ireland. If enacted, this bill would see the establishment of four new institutions for dealing with the past...

When: 1pm to 4.45 pm, Friday 14 September 2018. Where: Canada Room, Lanyon Building, Queen’s University Belfast. BrexitLawNI is a collaborative research project between CAJ and the Schools of Law at Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and was set up to examine...

Various media outlets approached CAJ last week to comment on new legislation that could lead to a mile-wide stop and search zone along the Irish border. The Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill 2018 is currently making its way through the UK parliament. The controversial powers contained within the bill have concerning implications for human rights...

From a human rights perspective, there are numerous objections to the contents of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill 2018. The proposed bill also contains measures that could have worrying implications if applied to their full extent in Northern Ireland. The bill, which is in part intended to tighten current UK counter-terrorism legislation, includes provisions...