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Europe Country Entries Covering events from January - December 2000 UNITED KINGDOM United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II Head of government: Tony Blair Capital: London Population: 58.8 million Official language: English Death penalty: abolitionist for all crimes 2000 treaty ratifications/signatures: Optional Protocol to the UN Children's Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict The Human Rights Act came into force in October, incorporating most of the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law. Negotiations concerning the implementation of the Multi-Party Agreement in Northern Ireland continued, but killings, bombings and beatings persisted. In the United Kingdom (UK), the government introduced more sweeping powers for the security forces in anti-terrorist and surveillance legislation. Detainees and prisoners were reportedly subjected to ill-treatment and racist abuse. Background Negotiations over the implementation of the Multi-Party Agreement in Northern Ireland continued throughout 2000. In February the peace process broke down when the government dissolved the Northern Ireland Assembly and reinstated direct rule. However, the Assembly was re-established in May. Northern Ireland In November, the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 renamed the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) the ''Police Service of Northern Ireland (incorporating the RUC)'' and introduced measures to encourage the recruitment of Catholics and women. The Act failed to highlight the centrality of human rights protection and to include all the measures for increased police accountability recommended by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland in October 1999. These included increasing the effective powers of the Policing Board and of the Police Ombudsperson to initiate inquiries. In June Nuala O'Loan became the first Northern Ireland Police Ombudsperson, leading a team of independent investigators into complaints against the police. In March, the Review of the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland set up under the Multi-Party Agreement was published by a group of experts. It made 294 recommendations, including the creation of a new prosecution service and an Independent Judicial Appointments Commission. The cases of Patrick Finucane and Rosemary Nelson The Stevens police investigation continued into the killing of Patrick Finucane in February 1989 by Loyalist paramilitaries in collusion with intelligence agents. The only person charged was William Stobie, arrested in June 1999, whose trial was still pending. AI published a report which called on the government to establish a judicial public inquiry into this killing, in line with international standards. The government stated that it would make its decision once criminal proceedings had been completed. Rosemary Nelson, also a lawyer, was killed by a Loyalist car bomb in March 1999. In January 2000, it was announced that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had decided that the RUC officers accused of issuing death threats against her would not be prosecuted. In May it was announced that no disciplinary action would be taken against the officers. After 20 months of police investigation, no one had been charged in connection with her murder. Freedom of expression Charges under the Official Secrets Act were dropped in November against a former military intelligence officer, using the name of Martin Ingram, and a Sunday Times journalist. The two had revealed information about the operations of a secret military intelligence unit, the Force Research Unit (FRU), in the late 1980s and 1990 in Northern Ireland. Martin Ingram alleged that the FRU had used a Loyalist agent to target suspected Republicans for killing. Injunctions had been issued against two newspapers to stop publication of further revelations. 'Bloody Sunday' inquiry The public judicial inquiry into the events of ''Bloody Sunday'', in which 13 people were killed and hundreds injured by soldiers in January 1972, opened on 27 March. It was expected to last at least two years. Investigations into killings by the security forces Four cases, involving 12 killings of Catholics in Northern Ireland, were declared admissible by the European Court of Human Rights in April. It was alleged that RUC officers had operated a policy of killing rather than arresting suspected opponents, or had colluded with Loyalist paramilitaries. At the end of 2000, there were at least 15 inquests outstanding into disputed killings and deaths in custody. AI was concerned about delays in holding such inquests, including in the cases of Sam Marshall and Roseanne Mallon. Robert Hamill The coroner leading the inquest into the death of Robert Hamill, who was kicked to death by a Loyalist crowd in Portadown in 1997, decided that he was unable to hold an inquest because he could not guarantee the safety of a key witness. Investigation of the conduct of the police officers at the scene of the attack continued. Abuses by armed political groups Sectarian killings and attacks continued during 2000, as well as ''punishment'' killings and beatings by members of armed Loyalist and Republican groups. During 2000 there were 18 killings, 15 by Loyalists and three by Republicans. A feud between different Loyalist armed groups led to the killing of seven people, including two teenagers. There were dozens of ''punishment'' shootings and beatings by both Republicans and Loyalists. So-called ''punishments'' were also meted out to children. In April, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were shot and injured by Loyalists in Belfast and a 16-year-old suffered head injuries after being beaten by Republicans wielding iron bars in Belfast. Legislation The Human Rights Act came into force in October, incorporating most of the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law. The Terrorism Act, enacted in July, made temporary or emergency measures into permanent ones. AI expressed concern that some measures contravened international human rights standards or could result in human rights violations. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, enacted in July, legalized a variety of intrusive surveillance techniques, covert use of informants and agents, and the interception of communications. AI was concerned that the Act failed to provide sufficient safeguards, including judicial oversight, to ensure accountability and protection of fundamental human rights. In November, Parliament lowered the age of consent for homosexual acts from 18 to 16, thereby equalizing it with the age of consent for heterosexuals, for England, Scotland and Wales. The age was equalized at 17 for Northern Ireland. Deaths in custody/disputed killings In May the government began a consultation process on mechanisms to investigate misconduct by police officers. AI published a report on deaths in custody in the context of the consultation. In December the government announced that it would introduce a new, independent investigation system for serious misconduct cases, including deaths in custody. At least one person died in police custody in disputed circumstances: Asif Dad died in police custody in January. Updates ● In May an inquest jury returned a verdict of ''accidental death'' in the case of Glenn Howard, but added that the police officers had used excessive restraint and had subsequently failed to provide medical care. He died in January 1999 after being in a coma since December 1997. There were no prosecutions or disciplinary action. ● In June an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing in the case of Christopher Alder, a black former paratrooper who died in April 1998 in Hull police station. A videotape showed how officers ignored him as he lay on the police station floor for 10 minutes before they realized he was unconscious. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was considering whether to bring prosecutions against five officers. ● In June the High Court instructed the prosecution authorities to re-examine their decision not to prosecute seven prison officers involved in the death in prison of Alton Manning, who died in 1995 after being restrained. ● In November the CPS decided that no criminal charges would be brought against eight police officers reportedly involved in the restraint of Roger Sylvester in January 1999. The exact cause of his death remained disputed; an inquest was pending. ● In December the CPS decided that no criminal charges would be brought against the police officers who shot dead Harry Stanley in September 1999. Harry Stanley was walking home carrying a repaired table leg in a bag. He had stopped in a pub, where another customer mistook his Scottish accent for Irish and the table leg for a shotgun and alerted the police. Armed police officers approached Harry Stanley from behind and reportedly shouted a warning. Harry Stanley did not stop, and when he turned around, reportedly after another police shout, he was shot dead. ● In February, a coroner's jury issued a verdict which effectively rendered the killing of unarmed IRA member Diarmuid O'Neill lawful. Diarmuid O'Neill was shot dead during a police raid in west London in September 1996. Police handling of racist killings There were renewed allegations that police forces were not investigating the deaths of black people, which could have been racially motivated, with the same rigour as in other cases. ● Harold McGowan and his nephew Jason were found hanged in Telford in July 1999 and January 2000 respectively. The family alleged that police had assumed suicide and had neglected warnings that they were under threat of racist attacks. The Metropolitan Police's Racial and Violent Crimes Task Force assisted the local police investigation. ● In March, a fresh inquiry was announced into the police handling of the death of Ricky Reel following complaints from his family. Ricky Reel drowned in the River Thames in October 1997. His family alleged that he died as a result of a racist attack. The Police Complaints Authority's inquiry resulted in finding three officers guilty of neglect of duty. An inquest jury in November 1999 returned an open verdict on the cause of death.
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