15/10/2012
Court Secrecy Plans Criticised
Amnesty International has criticised government plans for more secrecy in British courts.
A report from the charity has claimed the plans will make it more difficult for the Northern Irish public to hold security forces to account.
The government has argued that the Justice and Security Bill is needed to protect sensitive information in cases where the intelligence and security agencies are brought before the courts.
The new proposals, which are set to be put before the House of Lords over the next few weeks, would see special lawyers representing claimants in secret "closed material procedures".
The new measures have been compared to a Franz Kafka novel by Amnesty. The organisation said it could harm public confidence.
Amnesty International NI's Patrick Corrigan said: "There are a range of civil proceedings in Northern Ireland dealing with the legacy of the conflict which might well be affected by the introduction of 'secret evidence'.
"These include judicial reviews of investigations into conflict-related deaths by the PSNI, the Historical Enquiries Team and the Police Ombudsman, as well as civil actions for damages relating to ill-treatment and unlawful killings.
"If introduced, these 'secret evidence' measures could contribute towards a dangerous unravelling of public confidence in the justice system in Northern Ireland."
A government spokesperson said: "Currently, no-one, not the claimant, not their lawyers, nor the judge, can take into account or rely on national security sensitive evidence.
"The result is that cases collapse and we never get to the bottom of serious allegations made against the state.
"The Justice and Security Bill will fix this problem by allowing the national security evidence which is excluded under current rules to be heard in a closed procedure. Closed justice is never ideal, but it is better when the alternative is silence."
(IT/GK)
A report from the charity has claimed the plans will make it more difficult for the Northern Irish public to hold security forces to account.
The government has argued that the Justice and Security Bill is needed to protect sensitive information in cases where the intelligence and security agencies are brought before the courts.
The new proposals, which are set to be put before the House of Lords over the next few weeks, would see special lawyers representing claimants in secret "closed material procedures".
The new measures have been compared to a Franz Kafka novel by Amnesty. The organisation said it could harm public confidence.
Amnesty International NI's Patrick Corrigan said: "There are a range of civil proceedings in Northern Ireland dealing with the legacy of the conflict which might well be affected by the introduction of 'secret evidence'.
"These include judicial reviews of investigations into conflict-related deaths by the PSNI, the Historical Enquiries Team and the Police Ombudsman, as well as civil actions for damages relating to ill-treatment and unlawful killings.
"If introduced, these 'secret evidence' measures could contribute towards a dangerous unravelling of public confidence in the justice system in Northern Ireland."
A government spokesperson said: "Currently, no-one, not the claimant, not their lawyers, nor the judge, can take into account or rely on national security sensitive evidence.
"The result is that cases collapse and we never get to the bottom of serious allegations made against the state.
"The Justice and Security Bill will fix this problem by allowing the national security evidence which is excluded under current rules to be heard in a closed procedure. Closed justice is never ideal, but it is better when the alternative is silence."
(IT/GK)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
