Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 11:18:16 +0000 (GMT)
From: William Finnerty <newinngalway@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: CRIMINAL JUSTICE (UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE) ACT, 2000 (Republic of Ireland)
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"No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."
 
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE) ACT, 2000 (Republic of Ireland)
by W. Finnerty. Tue Nov 06, 2007 19:48
  
First, a few small samples of the text of this document (which can be viewed in full at http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/act/pub/0011/print.html ):
  
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Article 1 
  
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “torture” means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. 
  
Article 2
  
2. No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.
  
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Allowing for the few small samples provided above, and for other parts of this particular piece of Republic of Ireland legislation, it seems to me that a number of our senior "public servants" (so called) would need to "watch their step" VERY carefully, and that for some it might already be too late? (Among several other things which should be worrying some people, is the fact that one part of this Act very clearly states: "A person guilty of the offence of torture shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life.") 
  
Such dangers are particularly real, if for ANY reason our lawyers here in the Republic of Ireland were to do the honourable and genuinely democratic thing, and to follow the example at present being set by their counterparts in Pakistan: who, as many will already know, are at the present time rightfully demanding a return to "constitutional law" (and away from the BOGUS unconstitutional and illegal law of the despots and the plutocrats) - which is EXACTLY the kind of major change-of-direction the Republic of Ireland now also desperately needs (in my view). 
  
Related link: http://www.europeancourtofhumanrightswilliamfinnerty.com/ChiefJusticeMurray/2November2007/Email.htm  
  
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The above text has been copied from the following Indymedia (Ireland) location:
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84853#comment211597
 
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For future reference purposes a copy of this e-mail will later today be placed at the following Internet location:
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