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Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance

& Other Ill Treatment

In the early years of the 21st Century 2000 to 2025                                                   gvnet.com/torture/Ireland.htm

Republic of Ireland

Irish prisons and detention facilities are reportedly dangerous, unsanitary, and overcrowded. In 2016, the inspector of prisons published a review of prisoner complaint procedures that found failures to adhere to complaint protocols.

.  [Freedom House Country Report, 2018]

Description: Description: Description: Ireland

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Ireland.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

HOW TO USE THIS WEBPAGE

Students

If you are looking for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on this page and others to see which aspects of Torture by Authorities are of particular interest to you.  You might be interested in exploring the moral justification for inflicting pain or inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment in order to obtain critical information that may save countless lives, or to elicit a confession for a criminal act, or to punish someone to teach him a lesson outside of the courtroom.  Perhaps your paper might focus on some of the methods of torture, like fear, extreme temperatures, starvation, thirst, sleep deprivation, suffocation, or immersion in freezing water.  On the other hand, you might choose to write about the people acting in an official capacity who perpetrate such cruelty.  There is a lot to the subject of Torture by Authorities.  Scan other countries as well as this one.  Draw comparisons between activity in adjacent countries and/or regions.  Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources that are available on-line.

*** ARCHIVES ***

2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ireland

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 30 March 2021

www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ireland/

[accessed 25 July 2021]

TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT

The law prohibits such practices, and there were no reports government officials employed them.

Freedom House Country Report

2018 Edition

freedomhouse.org/country/ireland/freedom-world/2018

[accessed 17 May 2020]

F3. IS THERE PROTECTION FROM THE ILLEGITIMATE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE AND FREEDOM FROM WAR AND INSURGENCIES?

Irish prisons and detention facilities are reportedly dangerous, unsanitary, and overcrowded. In 2016, the inspector of prisons published a review of prisoner complaint procedures that found failures to adhere to complaint protocols. The government has taken some steps to address a 2015 Council of Europe report that criticized the continued lack of toilet access in some cells.

Conclusions and recommendations of the Committee against Torture

U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment  -- Doc. CAT/C/IRL/CO/1 (2011)

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/cat/observations/ireland2011.html

[accessed 15 Aug  2013]

Complaint and investigation mechanisms

18. The Committee notes the information provided by the State party with regard to the investigation of complaints by prisoners against prison staff relating to incidents which allegedly occurred in the following prisons: Portlaoise, on 30 June 2009; Mountjoy, on 15 June 2009 and 12 January 2010; Cork, on 16 December 2009; and Midlands, on 7 June 2009. The Committee notes with concern that in all these cases there have been no independent and effective investigations into the allegations of ill-treatment by prison staff. The Inspector of Prisons, in his report of 10 September 2010 entitled “Guidance on best practice for dealing with prisoners’ complaints”, concluded that there is no independent complaints and investigation body to investigate prisoners’ complaints and that present procedures followed do not accord with best practice, and recommended the establishment of an independent mechanism to receive and investigate complaints against prison staff (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16).

The Committee recommends that the State party:

(a) Establish an independent and effective complaint and investigation mechanism to facilitate the submission of complaints by victims of torture and ill- treatment by prison staff and ensure that in practice complainants are protected against any intimidation or reprisals as a consequence of the complaints;

(b) Institute prompt, impartial and thorough investigations into all allegations of torture or ill-treatment by prison staff;

(c) Ensure that all officials who are allegedly involved in any violation of the Convention are suspended from their duties during the conduct of the investigations;

(d) Provide the Committee with information on the number of complaints made concerning allegations of torture and ill-treatment by prison staff, the number of investigations carried out and the number of prosecutions and convictions, as well as on the redress awarded to victims.

19. The Committee welcomes the establishment of the Garda Si ocha na Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) in 2005, the members of which cannot be serving members or former members of the Garda Si ocha na (Police Force). GSOC is empowered to investigate complaints of torture and ill-treatment against members of the Garda Si ocha na. However, the Committee regrets that GSOC can also refer complaints to the Garda (Police) Commissioner, who can proceed with the investigations independently or under the supervision of GSOC, except complaints concerning the death of or serious harm to a person in police custody. The Committee is also concerned at the information that GSOC has submitted proposals for the amendment of the Garda Si ocha na Act of 2005 in a number of areas, including the power to allow GSOC to refer investigations back to the Garda Si ocha na, thereby allowing the police to investigate itself (arts. 2, 12, 13 and 16).

The Committee recommends that the State party ensure by law that all allegations of torture and ill-treatment by the police are directly investigated by the Garda Si ocha na Ombudsman Commission and that sufficient funds are allocated to the Commission so as to enable it to carry out its duties promptly and impartially and to deal with the backlog of complaints and investigations which has accumulated. The Committee also requests the State party to provide it with statistical data on (a) the number of complaints of torture and ill-treatment filed against prison officers, the number of investigations instituted, and the number of prosecutions and convictions imposed; and (b) the number of cases that have been referred to the Garda Si ocha na.

Search … AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

For current articles:: Search Amnesty International Website

www.amnesty.org/en/search/?q=ireland+torture&ref=&year=&lang=en&adv=1&sort=relevance

[accessed 4 January 2019]

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*** EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE ***

Human Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61654.htm

[accessed 31 January 2013]

2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61654.htm

[accessed 4 July 2019]

TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN, OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT – Although the law prohibits such practices, there were reports of abuse by police officers.

In 2004 the Police Complaints Board recorded 1,232 complaints, including abuse of authority, discourtesy, neglect, and discreditable conduct of police officers, compared with 1,175 such complaints recorded in 2003. Of these complaints, 31 cases were adjudicated as minor breaches of discipline and referred to the commissioner, and 27 were deemed breaches of discipline and referred to a tribunal.

Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 1   Civil Liberties: 1   Status: Free

2009 Edition

www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2009/ireland

[accessed 31 January 2013]

LONG URL   ç 2009 Country Reports begin on Page 21

[accessed 12 May 2020]

The legal system is based on common law, and the judiciary is independent. Council of Europe inspectors in 2006 found evidence of some beatings and other ill-treatment of detainees by police, mostly at the time of arrest, but stated that prisons are generally well run.

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Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin, " Torture by Police, Forced Disappearance & Other Ill Treatment in the early years of the 21st Century- Ireland", http://gvnet.com/torture/Ireland.htm, [accessed <date>]