The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) recently published its 2010 annual report, and the organisation will celebrate their 35th anniversary in 2011.
Their report notes that there has been a shift in ICCL's work concerning matters of European Law which have an effect on domestic law in Ireland. The ICCL has voiced concern about the pre-agreement between the co-legislators (the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers) and the fast-tracking of law in relation issues such as data retention.
ICCL's report describes the organisation's broad support to years of LGBT campaigning, which has recently begun to bear fruit - for example the Civil Partnership legislation. The report mentions the successful conclusion of the long-running Lydia Foy case. As PILA readers may know, Lydia Foy is a transgendered woman who was represented by Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) in her European Convention of Human Rights claim against the Irish government.
The report also details ICCL's success in launching their ambitious Know Your Rights campaign which aims to inform members of the public of their rights in law in plain, jargon-free English. Booklets were disseminated nationwide through the Citizen's Information Board, and were also promoted via syndication in local press and roadshows. This project will continue in 2011 and 2012 on topics such as prisoners' rights, children's rights and the rights of couples in Civil Partnerships. Readers of the Bulletin may recall that last year PILA sponsored the European Convention on Human Rights booklet.
Other issues highlighted in the ICCL report include review of their various research areas including: the defence of dwellings; the protection of victims and accused persons; equality of vulnerable and marginalised groups; the work of ICCL in the RAXEN network; and the work of the Your Rights Right Now campaign.
Click here to read the full ICCL annual report.