Claire McEvoy

The document sets out 37 measures, including nine “high-priority asks”, to protect civil liberties and human rights in Ireland.

ICCL has challenged parties to make significant reforms to the criminal justice system to better protect the rights of victims and people accused of crimes, as well as overhauling the Coroner Service to protect the rights of the bereaved.

It also opposes the introduction of facial recognition technology (FRT) into Irish policing and seeks action to protect the rights of women, asylum seekers, the LGBT+ community and other minority groups.

Claire McEvoy, ICCL’s head of research and policy, said: “Human rights and democracy are under attack around the world. ICCL reminds Irish political parties that human rights are legally-binding State obligations and should be front and centre in policy-making.

“Ireland prides itself on being a global human rights leader, but we need to live up to this at home too. The next government and Oireachtas will face significant new challenges. Ireland is not immune to the forces of regression hoping to roll back and our hard-won human rights protections.

“At a time of unprecedented pressures on the human rights system globally this general election is a moment for our political parties to recommit to protecting Ireland’s rights and democratic norms.

“We hope to see all political parties committing to protect human rights and subsequently, we’ll be campaigning for these commitments to be included in the programme for government.”