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2015

Protecting Human Rights and Securing Peace in Northern Ireland: The Vital Role of Police Reform

Members

Hon. Christopher Smith

Chairman

Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Hon. Donald Payne

Member of Congress

House of Representatives

Hon. Benjamin Gilman

Chairman

House Committee on International Relations

Witnesses

Harold Hongju Koh

Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

Department of State

Gerald Lynch

President

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, The City University of New York

Brendan O'Leary

Professor

London School of Economics and Political Science

Martin O'Brien

Director

Committee on the Administration of Justice, Belfast

Elisa Massimino

Director, Washington Office

Lawyers Committee for Human Rights

This hearing examined ongoing human rights efforts in Northern Ireland, in particular underscoring the importance of police reform for a just and lasting peace in Ulster.  Chairman Smith stressed the significance of the British government’s pending decision on the Patten Report, noting that its enactment would be a definitive move towards police reform. One witnesses, Gerald W. Lynch, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said, “The Patten report provides a framework on which a police service built on a foundation of human rights can be achieved.” The Commissioners also commended the Good Friday Agreement.

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