Sir, - In his article on July 4th, Kevin Myers launched an attack on the work of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) and our sister organisation, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
CAJ is recognised both locally and internationally for its impartial and independent work to defend the human rights and civil liberties of everyone in Northern Ireland. Its opposition to the use of violence for, political ends is well known. Mr Myers claims that we work selectively, because we work solely on human rights abuses committed by governments - one wonders if he would show similar contempt for cancer organisations given that they do not deal with heart diseases?
CAJ was established to protect individuals against abuses by the state. Our remit is determined by international standards, and it is governments which agree these standards and which are bound by them. Our bona fides can be judged by our work for all without distinction - whether they be loyalist or republican, male or female, straight or gay, black or white.
While commenting on the situation in the Republic would be outside our remit, we refute Mr Myers's suggestion that there is something peculiar about the right to silence. This is a principle enshrined in international law. Its abrogation in the United Kingdom provoked censure from several United Nations bodies. Nor does one need to be clairvoyant to judge the likely impact of introducing knee-jerk draconian legislation. We can sadly point him to our own experience in Northern Ireland where this approach has only served to fuel the conflict. Mary Holland's article of the same date explains more eloquently than we could the serious consequences of ignoring the lessons of the past. Yours, etc.,
Director, Committee on the Administration of Justice, 45/47 Donegall Street, Belfast BT1 2FG.