Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 6 Mar 2001

Vol. 532 No. 1

Written Answers. - Human Rights Abuses.

John McGuinness

Question:

97 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will have investigations made into a complaint made that some Irish protesters involved in the protest at Faslane, Scotland, were strip searched; if he will determine the reason the ten out of 350 were selected for this type of search and then confined to cells for up to eight hours; the further reason the authorities in Scotland deemed this type of treatment to be necessary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6865/01]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

Three hundred and seventy-nine of the 1,000 or so people of many nationalities who participated in the demonstration at Faslane on 12 February 2001 were arrested. At the time of the demonstration the Irish Consulate-General in Edinburgh contacted the Strathclyde police to ascertain whether any Irish citizens had been detained and were informed that all the people arrested had been released without charge. The Consulate-General has since been told by the Strathclyde Police that 27 people with addresses in this jurisdiction, 11 of them male and 16 of them female, were among those arrested.

I received a complaint from the mother of one of the Irish girls allegedly strip searched, who claimed that five other girls, four of them Irish, had been treated in the same way. On foot of this, the Consulate-General wrote to the Chief Constable of the Strathclyde police asking that the complaint be investigated. Contact was also made with the Scottish Justice Department which assured the Consulate-General that the matter would be dealt with thoroughly and urgently and that a full report would be sent to the Consulate-General. The attention of the Strathclyde police has now also been drawn to the Deputy's information that the Irish citizens who claim to have been searched also complain that they were confined to cells for up to eight hours.

I share the Deputy's concern regarding these complaints and their implications. The Scottish authorities are being pressed for an early response and as soon as the report of the police is received the Deputy will be contacted directly.

Deirdre Clune

Question:

98 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to reports that Falun Gong practitioners are being suppressed in China; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6868/01]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

Ireland, together with our EU partners, is concerned at the measures taken by the Chinese Government against Falun Gong practitioners. We have conveyed our concern to the Chinese authorities and called on them to respect the human rights of individuals. We have urged them to act in accordance with the principles contained in the UN Covenants signed by China, in particular those relating to the freedoms of expression, assembly and association. We have also expressed concern about the number of arrests and the heavy sentences imposed on some members of the Falun Gong movement, most recently in the course of the EU-China human rights dialogue on 22-23 February.

At the General Affairs Council of 22-23 January, a number of decisions were taken concerning the EU-China human rights dialogue. This dialogue is our preferred channel for working to improve the human rights situation in areas of concern and I see it remaining so in the period ahead.

It has been decided to intensify the dialogue, focus it better and assess it on a continuous basis. The specific areas in which the EU will be seeking progress through the dialogue include respect for the exercise of the freedoms of expression, religion and belief, both public and private, and respect for the fundamental rights of all prisoners, including those arrested for membership of the political opposition, unofficial religious movements or other movements, such as the Falun Gong.

Austin Currie

Question:

99 Mr. Currie asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the contribution the Government is making towards a comprehensive European Union policy on the eradication of torture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6869/01]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Cowen):

Torture is among the most abhorrent violations of human rights and as such is strictly condemned by international law. Freedom from torture is a right which is to be protected under all circumstances. Promotion and protection of this human right therefore deservedly is a priority of the EU's human rights policy.

The EU Common Foreign and Security Policy's human rights working group, COHOM, of which Ireland is an active member, is engaged in developing a position on guidelines on torture. The purpose of the guidelines would be to continue efforts to make the human rights dimension of the EU's foreign policy more operational. The guidelines would provide the EU with an operational tool to be used in contacts with third countries at all levels as well as in multilateral human rights fora in order to support and strengthen ongoing efforts to eradicate torture and ill-treatment in all parts of the world. Any guidelines on torture would be used to provide means and methods for achieving the human rights objectives of the EU's foreign policy. Addressing specific concerns about torture would be the primary purpose; however, the guidelines would also contribute to raising the EU's human rights profile in general.

The guidelines will identify ways and means to effectively work towards the prohibition and prevention of torture and ill-treatment within the CFSP. The emphasis of the EU actions will be placed on the prevention of torture and ill-treatment.

The EU will support the work of the relevant actors, the Committee Against Torture, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe as well as the UN special rapporteurs and other relevant actors. The EU policy should complement the work of these actors. The EU will pro-actively contribute to ensure that the existing international safeguards against torture and ill-treatment are strengthened and effectively implemented.