Foreign Affairs Committee to continue hearings on Syria with the UNHCR before meeting with the mother of Michael Dwyer

The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence will tomorrow meet to conduct a two-part meeting. In session A, the Committee will continue their series of meetings on the current situation in Syria by hearing from Ms. Gráinne O’Hara, Head of the Protection Service for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Middle East and North Africa region.

In Session B the Committee will discuss the ongoing campaign for an international enquiry into the killing of Mr. Michael Dwyer in Bolivia with his mother, Mrs. Caroline Dwyer.

Session A will commence at 9.30am in Committee Room 1 tomorrow, Thursday, 26 January 2017 and Session B will follow at 11.00am.

Committee Chairman Brendan Smith TD, said “Tomorrow we will continue our hearings on the grave situation in Syria and the resulting migrant crisis. As a Committee, we will hear a presentation from Ms. Gráinne O’Hara from the UNHCR on how this massive displacement of people is continuing to affect territories far beyond the source region of Syria. The abhorrent human right issues that the world is seeing is almost unimaginable, both in Syria and adjoining countries such as Iraq, and we welcome the opportunity to hear from a leading expert on what international response is being put in place and what prospect there is for a negotiated settlement in the region.”

“In the second part of our meeting we will hear from the mother of an Irish citizen who was shot and killed in Bolivia in 2009. Mrs. Caroline Dwyer, mother of Michael Dwyer, will update the Committee on the measures she has taken in seeking justice for her son. Given the many questions that Mrs. Dwyer has about the circumstances of her son’s death, we welcome the opportunity to hear about the measures she has taken in seeking an independent, international investigation.”

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

Ends