Submission
The Commission welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Independent Review Group on the Offences Against the State Acts, which it hopes will assist the Group in its review of the legislation. The Commission and its predecessor body, the Irish Human Rights Commission (‘the IHRC’), have previously raised number of significant concerns about the human rights and equality issues arising in connection with the Offences Against the State Acts (‘the OASA’) and the Special Criminal Court. In this submission, the Commission recommends the repeal of the Offences Against the State Acts and the abolition of the Special Criminal Court.
The submission sets out the human rights and equality concerns that arise in connection with the operation of the OASA and the functioning of the Special Criminal Court. The Commission considers that the use of this legislation and the resort to a non-jury court are no longer necessary nor justified in Ireland’s current political security environment.
