The recommendations made by recommending States as part of Ireland’s third Universal Period Review were adopted on the afternoon of Friday 12th November, along with the publication of the Draft Report.  A recommendation made by 21 States was that Ireland ratify the...

States submitted questions to Ireland on its performance across a number of human rights treaties as part of Ireland’s third Universal Period Review. The Irish State delegation outlined to its UN peers what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situation...

At the pre-legislative scrutiny stage of the Policing, Security, and Community Safety Bill 2021, which purports to improve Garda oversight, the ICCL outlined some concerns and recommendations to further enhance the Bill.  One of their recommendations was that Ireland...

IPRT was one of the civil society organisations chosen to make a statement at the pre-session meeting of Ireland’s UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on 7th October 2021. There, selected Irish human rights organisations petitioned recommending States to make...

The Mid-Year Progress Report on Justice Plan 2021 was published in August. The plan details the progress made so far to achieve 5 goals identified in the Justice Action Plan 2021.  An action to attain approval “to ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the...

IPRT has recommended that Ireland ratify OPCAT and create a National Preventative Mechanism in its submission to Ireland’s third UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The submission focuses on the protection and promotion of human rights in Irish prisons and Oberstown...

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said the pandemic has exposed the lack of protection for people living in residential care systems – such as older people or people in direct provision.  ICCL, Age Action and Sage Advocacy believe that independent,...

Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has published the Department of Justice Strategy Statement 2021 – 2013, which sets out five high-level strategic goals for the Department. Minister also published a Justice Plan for 2021.The Justice Plan is the first of a series...

The draft Programme for Government agreed between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party on the 15th of June contains a promising proposal to ratify the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. Within the ‘Building Stronger and Safer Communities’...

In advance of Ireland’s third periodic hearing under the UN Convention against Torture, the Committee against Torture (‘the Committee’) has requested information from Ireland to monitor the State's implementation of the Convention, including follow-up issues on the...

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has written individually to the leaders of each of the Irish political parties to urge them to ensure that human rights and equality are central to the next Programme for Government. It is very welcome that one of the...

In its submission to the Committee Against Torture on the list of issues for the Third Examination of Ireland, IHREC has named the failure to ratify OPCAT as one of its key concerns. One of the focuses of the submission is on safeguards in and independent oversight of...

In its submission to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT), IPRT reviewed Ireland’s progress since the CAT’s Concluding Remarks in 2017, and noted several recommendations of the Committee which Ireland has yet to implement. This includes the CAT’s recommendation to...

The Dublin Inquirer has published an opinion piece by ICCL executive director Liam Herrick on the need for independent inspection of Garda holding cells. While some safeguards are in place, such as the existence of various oversight bodies like the Garda Inspectorate,...

Inspector of Prisons Patricia Gilheaney has called for the government to continue progressing the Inspection of Places of Detention Bill in the Annual Report of the Office of the Inspector of Prisons. This piece of legislation, which was approved by the government in...