Northern Ireland faces a real and pressing public health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both the UK and Irish governments have introduced emergency legislation in response to this crisis. Emergency legislation in times of crisis can be necessary and actively support positive action to protect human rights. The general principle is that emergency measures...

Inside this issue: We lead with a detailed analysis of the New Decade, New Approach agreement, while other articles look at the latest developments in Northern Ireland in relation to equal marriage and the decriminalisation of abortion. CAJ’s Director, Brian Gormally, examines the role human rights can play in conflict resolution and Dr Robbie McVeigh...

CAJ shares the dismay of victims’ groups and others at the statement on legacy given by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) today. This statement appears to envisage the abandonment of the structures proposed in the Stormont House Agreement (SHA) in favour of a new ‘fast-track’ process, the detail of which is entirely unclear. It seems...

The Committee of Ministers is the decision-making body of Europe’s leading human rights organisation, the Council of Europe. At the start of March 2020, the 1369th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies was held to look at the execution of judgements made by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in a series of cases in...

Social protests provide an important avenue for people to exercise their right to freedom of expression and their right to peaceful assembly. However, in recent years, many jurisdictions have placed new restrictions on protests, which often do not comport with international law and do not enhance public safety (or serve another legitimate purpose). In response...

After three years in the political wilderness, Northern Ireland once again has a functioning devolved government sitting at Stormont. A new cross-party deal, published in January 2020, paved the way for the restoration of the NI Assembly and Executive. The New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement was announced by the Irish and British governments on...

Inside this issue: Our Director, Brian Gormally, examines the rights implications of the landslide Conservative victory in the general election. There are also guest articles from NIWEP on the key anniversaries for women’s rights that will take place in 2020; WRDA on the fight to end sexual harassment; and NIHRC on the cumulative impact of...

We are living in strange times, dominated by Brexit, but the work of CAJ has continued, unabated, over the last twelve months. In our latest annual report, CAJ’s key achievements from the last year are highlighted, including the establishment of two brand new projects to take our work forward. Introduction to the report: This has...

CAJ has issued a statement on Paul O’Connor, Director of the Pat Finucane Centre, in response to the media coverage he received over the past weekend: “CAJ wishes to put on record that we have worked with Paul O’Connor, Director of the Pat Finucane Centre, for many years. He has been – and continues to...

CAJ has expressed concern at the ongoing secrecy over the potential operational relationship between MI5 and military units operating in Northern Ireland. This follows a ruling by the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) (1) to block disclosure of a section (henceforward referred to as ‘the disputed paragraph’) of the British Army’s terms of reference for ‘Operation...