MAGINNESS
'HUMAN RIGHTS MUST BE UNIVERSAL'
Thursday 14th June 2007
SDLP Justice Spokesperson, Alban Maginness MLA, has welcomed a
ruling by House of Lords affirming the human rights of prisoners
of UK troops abroad. The ruling contradicts the advice given by
Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General, who recently responded in
detail to SDLP concerns about lenient loyalist sentencing patterns.
Speaking today, Mr Maginness said:
“With
plans to bring MI5 to the North, with no independent scrutiny,
and reports of UK involvement in extraordinary rendition, this
is very relevant. We simply cannot trust this British administration
alone or MI5 to investigate terrorism without being publicly accountably.
The very real possibility is that someone could be taken from
the streets of Belfast or Basra and tortured. The SDLP endorses
the decision of the House of Lords in its upholding of Human Rights
as being universally applicable, whether at home or abroad. The
SDLP will continue to support Human Rights being applicable on
a worldwide basis.
“Cases
of extraordinary rendition are a recent and very worrying development
to those who wish to see Human Rights protected. We must hope
the spirit of this ruling is embraced by everyone.”
