PR: Validity of Garda Human Rights Initiative?
19.01.2001
Youth Defence have condemned yesterday's arrest and subsequent forcible strip search of a pro-life activist as police harassment and an infringement of human rights. In particular they noted that this latest arrest of a peaceful pro-life demonstrator made a sham of the Garda Siochana Human Rights Initiative, which had sought to "Promote best practise in the area of Policing and Human Rights"
The Youth Defence member was arrested for simply holding a poster and seemed to have been singled out for this heavy-handed treatment, as at least three other interest groups were holding similar demonstrations in Grafton Street at the time. The Youth Defence member was taken to Pearse Street Garda Station where he was forcibly strip searched, an intimidatory tactic previously used by Pearse Street Garda Station against four young pro-life women two years ago. The Garda Siochana Human Rights Initiative have held two public forums where members of Youth Defence were invited to express their views on the issue of policing and human rights in a effort to address human rights transgressions by members of the Gardai. At those forums the Gardai acknowledged that the behaviour of some of their members in the past had been unprofessional and that they were striving to address these problems.
Saturday's arrest and forcible strip search means that either the Garda Initiative is a sham or that individual members of the force are acting on their own initiative outside of what is considered to be best practise. If the latter is true, Youth Defence calls on the Minister for Justice John O'Donoghue to exercise control over a maverick element within the Garda Siochana which is creating a human rights infringement record for this country which was recently condemned by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhumane Treatment or Punishment.
Youth Defence have organised a demonstration on Pearse Street Garda Station beginning at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd of January.
End
