Malachi O’Doherty’s Comment piece in today's Belfast Telegraph examines the NIO’s consultation on the Eames-Bradley recommendations and makes a number of comments regarding that process and indeed this Commission’s role within the proposed Legacy Commission.
The Commission for Victims and Survivors are strong advocates for the development of a Living History programme which will record the stories of the conflict and make them publicly accessible. Fundamental to the creation of that resource is not just storytelling but story hearing. We believe that the facilitative dialogue processes we, and the other organisations we have worked with to develop this programme proposal, have developed are different and will encourage others to listen. In that act of listening, we believe perceptions and viewpoints will be challenged.
We acknowledge that many people have told their stories through the media over the years and that many do not want to speak. Our aim is to bring together the stories of those who wish to speak into a central archive for the first time, to create a counter-narrative of the history of the conflict and not merely affirm the contemporaneous accounts of it. By its very definition, those narratives will be self-selecting and will allow many who may not have had the opportunity to speak, for example those who were injured or were members of the fire and ambulance services, the chance to do so.
Mr. O’Doherty’s assertion, however, that “a massive archive of stories is one alternative to a Commission of enquiry such as Eames and Bradley envisaged” cannot be left unchallenged. Storytelling and story hearing have a place to play in building peace by creating understanding and opportunities for dialogue in a society where contested history is at issue. They do not, nor should they ever, form an alternative to a robust process which holds accountable those responsible for wrong-doing, whatever “side” of the community they may be from. We as a Commission would oppose any such position being taken.
We encourage the community to contribute to the NIO consultation on the Consultative Group recommendations and we ourselves will be continuing a process of dialogue on the matter internally and externally over the coming weeks.
Tuesday 30 June 2009
Friday 26 June 2009
The silence of our friends
Doudou Diene is UN former Special Rapporteur on slavery and human trafficking. He is Senegalese, French is his first language, and therefore the tone and inflection of his speech in English has a certain lyricism and rhythm that engender active listening.
The atrium of Memphis City Hall has a three storey-high railing that resembles prison bars of the old-style slide-shut American Movie kind. The setting seemed apt for him to recount the stories of slaves.
Memphis is home to the National Civil Rights Museum, housed at the Lorraine Motel, site of the assassination of Dr. martin Luther King Jr. It is the venue for the International Coalition of sites of Conscience conference, drawing together museums and human rights organisations from throughout the world committed to not only the preservation of memory, but to ensuring that those memories are developed as a tool for civic action, education on human rights, promotion of tolerance and acceptance of diversity.
Doudou's remarks drew together the common thread for all of those organisations and sites present in the words of Dr. King: "in the end, will will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." The silence of our friends who have died in brutal and bloody conflict. The silence of our friends isolated and marginalised from injuries both physical and emotional.
It brought to mind a quotation from Voltaire, himself ironically an investor in those same slave ships and the trade they plied. He said: "to the living we owe respect. To the dead we owe only the truth." Truth is, of course subjective, but is also a fundamental need for all who seek to be reconciled with a difficult and divisive past.
We ahve much to learn and much to hear. I hope to hear and learn more tomorrow from those involved in recording the experiences of Guantanamó.
The atrium of Memphis City Hall has a three storey-high railing that resembles prison bars of the old-style slide-shut American Movie kind. The setting seemed apt for him to recount the stories of slaves.
Memphis is home to the National Civil Rights Museum, housed at the Lorraine Motel, site of the assassination of Dr. martin Luther King Jr. It is the venue for the International Coalition of sites of Conscience conference, drawing together museums and human rights organisations from throughout the world committed to not only the preservation of memory, but to ensuring that those memories are developed as a tool for civic action, education on human rights, promotion of tolerance and acceptance of diversity.
Doudou's remarks drew together the common thread for all of those organisations and sites present in the words of Dr. King: "in the end, will will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." The silence of our friends who have died in brutal and bloody conflict. The silence of our friends isolated and marginalised from injuries both physical and emotional.
It brought to mind a quotation from Voltaire, himself ironically an investor in those same slave ships and the trade they plied. He said: "to the living we owe respect. To the dead we owe only the truth." Truth is, of course subjective, but is also a fundamental need for all who seek to be reconciled with a difficult and divisive past.
We ahve much to learn and much to hear. I hope to hear and learn more tomorrow from those involved in recording the experiences of Guantanamó.
Thursday 25 June 2009
A day late and a dollar short
Travelling and lack of a reliable connection have kept me away from posting. Having tried and failed miserably to post via an iPhone (but will try again soon!) I am dependent on the generosity of friends and free WiFi.
Shaun Woodward, the Secretary of State, announced on Tuesday that the NIO was to begin a formal consultation on the recommendations of the Consultative Group on the Past.
The silence of the last five months has been deafening from government circles. Yet for victims and survivors and community and voluntary sector organisations that I have spoken to, there is a perhaps surprising consensus about the CGP report and that is this: it is likely to offer us the only chance in this generation to begin to put structures in place to tackle the legacy of the conflict.
Of course there is disagreement on the various recommendations. But that is healthy, for it least it means that people, albeit in a whisper, are talking.
So if the NIO's opening of formal consultation is a day late and a dollar short, at least it is now here.
In an op-ed piece in the Newsletter, Shaun Woodward said: " it will never succeed as a top-down edict from the British Government because reconciliation must be as much a part of a shared future as the peace process and the political process."
He is right that it will not succeed if it is directed by the British government, because they too must make the difficult leap of acknowledging their role as an actor in the conflict. We all must being to realise that none of us can walk away with a clear conscience and clean hands, even if our only crime against our fellow citizen was indifference and avoidance.
The consultation runs until October 2 and submissions can be made via www.nio.gov.uk
Shaun Woodward, the Secretary of State, announced on Tuesday that the NIO was to begin a formal consultation on the recommendations of the Consultative Group on the Past.
The silence of the last five months has been deafening from government circles. Yet for victims and survivors and community and voluntary sector organisations that I have spoken to, there is a perhaps surprising consensus about the CGP report and that is this: it is likely to offer us the only chance in this generation to begin to put structures in place to tackle the legacy of the conflict.
Of course there is disagreement on the various recommendations. But that is healthy, for it least it means that people, albeit in a whisper, are talking.
So if the NIO's opening of formal consultation is a day late and a dollar short, at least it is now here.
In an op-ed piece in the Newsletter, Shaun Woodward said: " it will never succeed as a top-down edict from the British Government because reconciliation must be as much a part of a shared future as the peace process and the political process."
He is right that it will not succeed if it is directed by the British government, because they too must make the difficult leap of acknowledging their role as an actor in the conflict. We all must being to realise that none of us can walk away with a clear conscience and clean hands, even if our only crime against our fellow citizen was indifference and avoidance.
The consultation runs until October 2 and submissions can be made via www.nio.gov.uk
Monday 15 June 2009
Delivering REAL Change
Rights, Empowerment, Action, Lobbying - REAL Network was launched today at the Long Gallery in Stormont.
Disability Action's Centre on Human Rights for People with Disabilites has created this network of disabled human rights activists that work to promote and protect the human rights of disabled people.
With statistics estimating that there are up to 40,000 people wounded as a result of the conflict, it is fair to say that a significant proportion of them will have an acquired disability as a result. The wounded survivors are often forgotten, but todays launch is one more tool we can use to ensure their needs are met.
The five key areas of work the Network seeks to address are independent living, education, employment, health and the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilites which was ratified here only last week.
What was most interesting about the launch was that each of the political parties in the Assembly were represented on a panel and asked a number of questions about rights and responsibilites and the audience were given electronic keypads to rate their response. It's fair to say there was a mixed response, with some parties scoring better in certain areas than others. It was participatory democracy in action and it certainly caused the politicians to pay more than lip service. The key will to be keep pressure on to ensure the UN convention is implemented via a cross-departmental strategy.
www.disabilityhumanrights.org/realnetwork
Disability Action's Centre on Human Rights for People with Disabilites has created this network of disabled human rights activists that work to promote and protect the human rights of disabled people.
With statistics estimating that there are up to 40,000 people wounded as a result of the conflict, it is fair to say that a significant proportion of them will have an acquired disability as a result. The wounded survivors are often forgotten, but todays launch is one more tool we can use to ensure their needs are met.
The five key areas of work the Network seeks to address are independent living, education, employment, health and the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilites which was ratified here only last week.
What was most interesting about the launch was that each of the political parties in the Assembly were represented on a panel and asked a number of questions about rights and responsibilites and the audience were given electronic keypads to rate their response. It's fair to say there was a mixed response, with some parties scoring better in certain areas than others. It was participatory democracy in action and it certainly caused the politicians to pay more than lip service. The key will to be keep pressure on to ensure the UN convention is implemented via a cross-departmental strategy.
www.disabilityhumanrights.org/realnetwork
Wednesday 10 June 2009
Omagh civil action asks as many questions as it answers
The judgement in the Omagh Bomb civil action has led to speculation that many more victims and survivors of the conflict will consider taking civil actions against those they believe are responsible for the death and injury of their loved ones.
We have also heard reported that the judgement is being looked at internationally with a view to examining how the precedent could apply in civil actions taken in other countries.
I was in court when the judgement was delivered and what I witnessed was a mixture of profound relief amongst the families and survivors that they were finally able to hold someone accountable for these horrific and tragic events. Yet there was still an undercurrent of anger that it was only through their sheer dogged determination as a group of individuals and families that this had been achieved.
The Omagh Bomb civil action should not have happened. It is an indictment of our legal system and how we deal with victims and survivors that it did. Police investigations into the Real IRA, criminal procedings, Police Ombudsman investigations, investigative reporting and even the Gibson Inquiry into the role of British Military intelligence failed to deliver concrete results for the families and survivors in terms of accountability.
Whether this judgement leads to a rash of civil claims no one can predict, but I would suggest that the cost involved, personal strength required and persistence in the face of at best adversity and at worst obstruction would make such a course of action impossible for individual families who have lost loved ones.
More importantly however, the legal system itself needs to be robust enough to deal with these issues. The precedent set in the criminal trial in respect of the Omagh bomb and the passage of time since many events of the conflict have taken place make prosecutions through the criminal courts very difficult and these are likely to be rare.
That doesn't mean that the issue of accountability disappears for victims and survivors. It means we as a community and a Commission face a huge challenge in developing robust processes that deliver acknowledgement of wrongdoing and hold accountable those responsible - in all sections of our society.
The recommendations of the Consultative Group on the Past provide a starting point for dialogue on how we might achieve that end. Let's talk...
We have also heard reported that the judgement is being looked at internationally with a view to examining how the precedent could apply in civil actions taken in other countries.
I was in court when the judgement was delivered and what I witnessed was a mixture of profound relief amongst the families and survivors that they were finally able to hold someone accountable for these horrific and tragic events. Yet there was still an undercurrent of anger that it was only through their sheer dogged determination as a group of individuals and families that this had been achieved.
The Omagh Bomb civil action should not have happened. It is an indictment of our legal system and how we deal with victims and survivors that it did. Police investigations into the Real IRA, criminal procedings, Police Ombudsman investigations, investigative reporting and even the Gibson Inquiry into the role of British Military intelligence failed to deliver concrete results for the families and survivors in terms of accountability.
Whether this judgement leads to a rash of civil claims no one can predict, but I would suggest that the cost involved, personal strength required and persistence in the face of at best adversity and at worst obstruction would make such a course of action impossible for individual families who have lost loved ones.
More importantly however, the legal system itself needs to be robust enough to deal with these issues. The precedent set in the criminal trial in respect of the Omagh bomb and the passage of time since many events of the conflict have taken place make prosecutions through the criminal courts very difficult and these are likely to be rare.
That doesn't mean that the issue of accountability disappears for victims and survivors. It means we as a community and a Commission face a huge challenge in developing robust processes that deliver acknowledgement of wrongdoing and hold accountable those responsible - in all sections of our society.
The recommendations of the Consultative Group on the Past provide a starting point for dialogue on how we might achieve that end. Let's talk...
Friday 5 June 2009
Theatre of Witness
The Playhouse in Derry has commenced a new programme called "Theatre of Witness" which is a two-year initiative that will result in the creation of two touring productions created and performed by an intergenerational, cross community group who have been impacted by the conflict.
All of the participants will personally portray their own journeys of reconnection, reconciliation, healing and acceptance in performances that will no doubt be very powerful, raw and honest. The first performance is scheduled for October 2009.
It strikes me that the power and impact of such a programme, and its affinity with the work the Commission wants to undertake on Living History, is in creating space for stories to be heard and acknowledged. Story hearing is without doubt as valuable as story hearing.
http://www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/
All of the participants will personally portray their own journeys of reconnection, reconciliation, healing and acceptance in performances that will no doubt be very powerful, raw and honest. The first performance is scheduled for October 2009.
It strikes me that the power and impact of such a programme, and its affinity with the work the Commission wants to undertake on Living History, is in creating space for stories to be heard and acknowledged. Story hearing is without doubt as valuable as story hearing.
http://www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
"This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have e endured the unimaginable. This is an occassion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable. It is long overdue that a day be dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of toture around the world."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
"This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have e endured the unimaginable. This is an occassion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable. It is long overdue that a day be dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of toture around the world."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Thursday 4 June 2009
Presbyterian Church calls for more dialogue on Consultative Group on the Past report
An article in today's Newsletter reporting from the Presbyterian Church General Assembly raises alarm at the lack of public discussion on the Consultative Group on the Past report.
Rev Norman Hamilton of the Church and Society Group said: "The legacy of the past hasn't gone away you know - and will not.
Eames-Bradley is not perfect, but the lack of public discussion about the issues it raises and the possible ways forward is profoundly alarming."
The Committee on the Administration of Justice, Transitional Justice Institute and British Irish Rights Watch ran a two-day reflection invovling academics, activists, victims and survivors and more in mid-May and it was good to hear the debate commence. No doubt the post-event report due shortly will continue that discussion.
Two questions, though: why such little debate, and how do we get it going?
Rev Norman Hamilton of the Church and Society Group said: "The legacy of the past hasn't gone away you know - and will not.
Eames-Bradley is not perfect, but the lack of public discussion about the issues it raises and the possible ways forward is profoundly alarming."
The Committee on the Administration of Justice, Transitional Justice Institute and British Irish Rights Watch ran a two-day reflection invovling academics, activists, victims and survivors and more in mid-May and it was good to hear the debate commence. No doubt the post-event report due shortly will continue that discussion.
Two questions, though: why such little debate, and how do we get it going?
Still adding names to the book of victims
This is the situation in Coleraine this week: on one side of town, one family burying a husband and father; one family sitting in vigil by the bed of a brother on a life support machine; on the other side of town, eight or nine families with someone in custody facing serious charges in relation to the murder of a community leader who was set upon by a lynch mob who had descended on the street outside his home.
What does the fatal beating of Mr. McDaid tell us about the new, post-political agreement Northern Ireland?
It is that while the vast majority of our people are enjoying a time of unprecedented peace, there are sections of our society, on both sides, for whom life still has the potential to be nasty and brutal and who feel that the wider peace has somehow passed them by.
In certain localities, the social problems normally associated with deprived areas of the inner city or town, when mixed with our wider, enduring problem of sectarianism produce a lethal cocktail that is still creating victims.
While we have a working political agreement and the Troubles can rightly be viewed as history, our conflict has left a legacy that means the book of victims is not yet finished; new names are still being added. And this week, the ink is not yet dry on the name of Kevin McDaid.
What can be done?
I am aware that among various officials and on the ground in Coleraine in these days, people are busying themselves with thoughts of how best to respond to this latest challenge to the integrity of the town. However, my concern is that the response to Kevin McDaid’s killing should be strategic, coherent and authoritative.
Strategic, by having a clear vision and sense of direction to any new initiatives.
Coherent, in that there needs to be joined-up thinking between the statutory and community sectors and between Government and the local Council.
Authoritative, because there needs to be ministerial support to a strategic response for Coleraine. In this case, that means joint ministerial backing from the First and deputy First Minister, reinforced by cross-party endorsement from public representatives.
What does the fatal beating of Mr. McDaid tell us about the new, post-political agreement Northern Ireland?
It is that while the vast majority of our people are enjoying a time of unprecedented peace, there are sections of our society, on both sides, for whom life still has the potential to be nasty and brutal and who feel that the wider peace has somehow passed them by.
In certain localities, the social problems normally associated with deprived areas of the inner city or town, when mixed with our wider, enduring problem of sectarianism produce a lethal cocktail that is still creating victims.
While we have a working political agreement and the Troubles can rightly be viewed as history, our conflict has left a legacy that means the book of victims is not yet finished; new names are still being added. And this week, the ink is not yet dry on the name of Kevin McDaid.
What can be done?
I am aware that among various officials and on the ground in Coleraine in these days, people are busying themselves with thoughts of how best to respond to this latest challenge to the integrity of the town. However, my concern is that the response to Kevin McDaid’s killing should be strategic, coherent and authoritative.
Strategic, by having a clear vision and sense of direction to any new initiatives.
Coherent, in that there needs to be joined-up thinking between the statutory and community sectors and between Government and the local Council.
Authoritative, because there needs to be ministerial support to a strategic response for Coleraine. In this case, that means joint ministerial backing from the First and deputy First Minister, reinforced by cross-party endorsement from public representatives.
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