NIHRC won't comment on chief's controversial views on RUC officers until September
It will be the end of September before the body charged with upholding equality of opportunity in Northern Ireland will give its view on controversial comments by its chief commissioner about the role of RUC officers investigating Troubles cases, the News Letter can reveal.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has remained silent since Chief Commissioner Alyson Kilpatrick said that the position of a top investigator at the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) was “untenable” because of his policing past.
It is unclear whether the other commissioners agree with the comments, and repeated questions have been asked of the organisation since mid July to set out its corporate position.
In response to a question from the News Letter, NIHRC says its position will be set out in a report it is issuing on legacy on 25th September – suggesting it couldn’t comment before then because of an ongoing legal case.
DUP MLA Paul Frew says the organisation’s inability to answer obvious questions on the matter “either speaks to the arrogant attitude within that organisation, a division within its own ranks, or both”.
The TUV’s Timothy Gaston MLA says the public deserves answers from NIHRC – and questioned whether the chief commissioner is “the spokesperson of a collective Commission or a solo activist using the title as a platform for personal opinion”.
In July, this newspaper asked NIHRC a series of questions on the matter, including whether Ms Kilpatrick’s comments were pre-approved by the other commissioners – and whether they reflect the view of the Commission as a whole.
While the questions were not answered, the human rights body said it “will be publishing a full response”. Asked again on Thursday, a spokesperson said: “The Chief Commissioner has set out concerns regarding legacy and the European Convention on Human Rights. We will be issuing an assessment report on legacy, which will further outline the Commission’s position. This is expected in September 25.
“The Commission is currently involved in legal proceedings on legacy in the Dillon and others Supreme Court case. We have nothing further to add at this time.”
Mr Frew said the High Court, Appeal Court and UK Supreme Court have all confirmed that the ICRIR is legally independent and the involvement of former police officers has no bearing on this.
He said the “saga has only seen the reputation of one organisation damaged in the eyes of the wider public, and that isn’t the ICRIR”. The DUP man said people “may also question whether the demand now to wait another six weeks for a response marries with the response given to previous requests for answers in the immediate aftermath of the comments.”
Mr Gaston said the Chief Commissioner’s “attack on former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was both disgraceful and dangerous” – and that the implication that RUC service disqualifies someone from investigating legacy cases is “not only an insult to the men and women who risked their lives to uphold the rule of law but also a blatant attempt to rewrite the past and vilify those who defended this community against terrorism”.
“The idea that someone’s prior service in the police or armed forces disqualifies them from public service today is not only legally dubious it is morally reprehensible”, the TUV MLA said.