Investigating Historic Human Rights Violations w Emily Williams (Policing and Justice Policy Officer at ICCL)

On this episode of the Human Rights Podcast, LLM Student Emily Donnellan speaks with Emily Williams (Policing and Justice Policy Officer at ICCL) about a cross-border report calling on the Irish government to establish a Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) to investigate unresolved deaths and incidents of torture and ill-treatment, including (but not limited to) cases related to the Troubles. The report also seeks the establishment of a system of robust and independent public inquiries and inquests, and an all-Ireland truth commission to examine themes and patterns relating to conflict-related violations. This discussion covers why the measures outlined in the report are so urgently needed, what the State's obligations are under human rights law and how these key reforms can be implemented.

About the ICCL: The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is Ireland’s oldest independent human rights body. It has been at the forefront of every major rights advance in Irish society for over 40 years. ICCL helped decriminalise homosexuality, divorce and contraception. We drove police reform, defending suspects' rights during dark times. In recent years, we led successful campaigns for marriage equality, data protection and reproductive rights.

Policing for Peace project: The Policing for Peace project is a collaboration between ICCL and the Committee on the Administration of Justice. It was developed in 2023 to build on the learning from a series of conferences and to delve deeper into specific thematic areas identified as key priorities. The project has been advanced through a series of North-South expert roundtables and events. The objective is to convene stakeholders to discuss identified areas for increased police oversight and reform, with a view to producing specific recommendations in each area, for both jurisdictions.

Note: This episode was recorded at the beginning of May, 2025. Since this episode was recorded, the Minister for Justice has apologised to the family of Shane O'Farrell, for the State's responsibility for failings in the criminal justice system. Shane O'Farrell was killed while out for a cycle by Zigimantas Gridziuska, a man who had breached bail conditions and should have been in jail. As a result, the Minister for Justice has asked Senior Counsel Lorcan Staines to review bail laws in Ireland.

Additionally, the government has announced the formal establishment of a Commission into the handling of historical child sex abuse in schools. The Commission will examine the handling of allegations, suspicions and concerns of historical sexual abuse in schools, and consider all primary and post-primary schools.

The podcast was produced by Emily Donnellan and Gráinne McGrath. Intro Music: 'Smarties Intro -FMA Podcast Suggestions' by Birds for Scale (Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 international License). Outro Music 'Smarties Outro -FMA Podcast Suggestions' by Birds for Scale (Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 international License).