AI ENDORSE CALL FOR UNDERCOVER POLICING INQUIRY EXTENSION TO NI
Amnesty International (AI) has called on the UK Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to agree to extend the Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) to Northern Ireland. This call comes on foot of the judicial review proceedings issued by the applicant Jason Kirkpatrick, in which KRW LAW act, and to which a full hearing is awaited.
The call follows news that the Scottish Justice Secretary has called on the Home Secretary to reconsider extending the terms of reference of the undercover policing inquiry to allow it to look at the activity of English and Welsh police units in Scotland.
Jason Kirkpatrick issued judicial review proceedings previous and leave was granted by Mr. Justice Maguire on 7th February 2017. The call also comes as news of similar legal proceedings in Scotland are about to be launched.
Darragh Mackin, Solicitor for Mr. Kirkpatrick said:
“The importance of the issues at the heart of this judicial review have been crystalised by the recent call of Amnesty International for the extension of the Inquiry to include this jurisdiction. For too long, the issue of accountability of undercover officers operating in Northern Ireland has gone unaddressed in the ongoing Inquiry in London.
A review was commissioned in Scotland, and an Inquiry has been commissioned in England – yet in not a single step has been taken to investigate or assess the full extent of the activities of these undercover officers in this jurisdiction.
It is time that steps were urgently taken to ensure that the Undercover Policing Inquiry is extended to include Northern Ireland, or failing that, an Inquiry must be commissioned by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.”
Mr. Kirkpatrick said:
“An inquiry that fails to take account of the full nature and extent of undercover policing is nothing short of a whitewash.
“The operations and depth of the deception by the police who spied on me was not limited to England and Wales, and so neither should the investigation.
“Our rights must be upheld. I’ve been fighting for what’s right on this case since 2010, and it’s time the Government stop doing everything in its power to prevent justice.”
NOTES TO EDITOR
- For further information please contact our Mr Darragh Mackin at darragh@krw-law.ie or +447976070023.
- There is an ongoing Inquiry in London referred to as the Undercover Policing Inquiry chaired by Mr Justice Mitting (previously chaired by Mr Justice Pitchford). The Inquiry was previously known as the Pitchford Inquiry and is now commonly known as the Mitting Inquiry.
- Jason Kirkpatrick is an environmental activist who was targeted by Mark Kennedy from the London Metropolitan Police and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit. Kennedy operated in Northern Ireland when he and Kirkpatrick worked together at public events.
- Kirkpatrick is engaged in a legal challenge to force the Undercover Policing Inquiry to be extended to Northern Ireland, and is about to support launching of similar proceedings in Scotland.