Amnesty report slams gardaí

A LACK of garda accountability, following a succession of scandals within the force, came in for heavy criticism in Amnesty International’s latest annual report.

Released yesterday, the report, which documents human rights abuses throughout the world, reserves it’s largest commentary on Ireland to policing. Singled out for mention were the scenes from last May’s Reclaim the Streets march where gardaí were seen to use excessive force against unarmed protesters.

Amnesty also said concern remained about racist violence and the harassment of ethnic minorities in Ireland. The report records the detention of large numbers of rejected asylum-seekers last July, and the Government’s announcement of plans to increase forcible deportations.

The report also covers the Barr Tribunal into the shooting dead of John Carthy in April 2000 and the Morris Tribunal into allegations of Garda misconduct in Donegal, as well as referring to allegations that a Garda member had prior knowledge of the 1998 Omagh bombing.

Ireland’s failure to provide adequate mental health services was also highlighted in the report.The report criticises the Government for failing to incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights and for not implementing legislation to monitor transfers of military equipment from Ireland to Third World countries.

At the report’s launch yesterday special attention was given to the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where 50,000 people have been displaced and thousands killed since the renewal of armed conflict in April, 2002.

Referring to the deteriorating situation in the DRC, the former chief of staff of the Irish defence forces and UN Congo veteran, General Gerry McMahon, called on the Irish Government to press the UN to dispatch a peacekeeping force which would include Irish troops.

“There is a war going on there involving Uganda and Rwanda and five different militias. There is a UN monitoring team, but they can’t stop the fighting. What we need is humanitarian intervention by either the EU or the UN or both,” he said.

“As far as Ireland is concerned we should be putting diplomatic pressure on Uganda and raise the issue at UN and EU level and, if a force is deployed, we should participate with a small number of Irish soldiers,” General McMahon continued.

Launching the report, Amnesty’s Irish Secretary General, ColmÓ Cuanacháin, said attention had to be drawn to the hidden crises around the world.

“Iraq and Israel and the Occupied Territories are in the news, Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo is not, despite the imminent threat of genocide. Drawing attention to hidden crises and protecting the rights of forgotten victims is the biggest challenge we face today,” he said.