PARAMILITARY BEATINGS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS

Early day motion 258, tabled 1 February 1999 by Harry Barnes (Labour). Signed by 18 members.

That this House notes that public pressure on the question of paramilitary beatings and intimidation in Northern Ireland has forced the Provisional IRA to issue an unprecedented statement which makes the claim that the IRA is not involved in these attacks; believes that this is a tribute to the persistent campaigning of peace groups such as Families Against Intimidation and Terror; further believes that both Loyalist and Republican paramilitary groups should now be subjected to the most concerted national and international pressure on the question of beatings, the continuation of which undermines confidence in their peaceful intentions; warmly commends the Observer newspaper's initiative urging the British and Irish Government's to invite human rights experts to visit Northern Ireland under the umbrella of a ceasefire monitoring group to investigate these alleged breaches in the ceasefires; enthusiastically endorses the Observer's view that such a body naming and shaming the organisations responsible for human rights abuses would act as a deterrent against the continuation of lynch law in a society which was meant to be at peace with itself; and further commends the idea that international human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch should also send teams to investigate paramilitary intimidation and terror.

Signatures by party: Labour 11, Liberal Democrat 3, Conservative 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, UUP 1.