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.
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
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