This is definitely one to watch carefully as it develops, the Chief Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioner Monica McWilliams is furious. And rightly so. According to the PA report, the NIO has confirmed that the previously announced legislation to enable the HRC to investigate allegations of abuses of human rights here, which grants the Commission new powers to compel evidence and witnesses, will set August 1 2007 as the date at which an allegation can be investigated using those powers. Leaving any allegations of human rights abuses before that date, in effect, out of bounds.From the PA report
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Monica McWilliams was furious after it emerged the latest draft of the government`s Justice and Security Bill would prevent the body from investigating cases before August 1 2007.
However the commission was also concerned the legislation would stymie future investigations into alleged abuses which surface in the future if the documentation relating to the cases dated before August 1.
Mrs McWilliams said: “The commission is shocked by what the government is proposing.
“They have decided we should only deal with the future. We will not be able to investigate human rights issues to do with the past.
“What this effectively means is that we would not be able to look into human rights issues relating to collusion.
“What is even more alarming is that it will also affect future investigations. We would not be able to compel documentation on a future case if it dated before August 1.”