Shoot-to-kill Incidents

HC Deb 09 July 2001 vol 371 cc353-4W

Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what response he has made to rulings of the European Court of Human Rights on alleged shoot-to-kill incidents in Northern Ireland on 1 June. [1119]

Jane Kennedy

As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, the United Kingdom takes very seriously the findings of the European Court. The Government have three months from the date of the judgments to decide their response (ie by 4 August) and are considering this very carefully.

I should point out that none of the judgments found the UK to have breached Article 2 of the Convention (the right to life) in respect of the actual deaths, but found against the Government in respect of a number of procedural issues relating to post-death investigatory procedures in place at the time.