Republican News · Thursday 11 July 2003

Yu resigns from Human Rights Commission

Patrick Yu has become the atest memebr of the Six-County Human Rights Commissin to resign his position. In a letyter to Secretary of State Pau Murphy, Yu said he could not continue because he had been forced to conclude that the commission had adopted a position that undermined aspects of the Good Friday Agreement as well as existing human rights protection measures and current equality protections. That and other concerns had led him to the conclusion that the HRC could not fulfil its mandate.

The commission is supposed to advance the equality agenda and work on producing a Bill of Rights.

Dubli Foreign Mnister Brian Cowen said the resignation was a "sertious development" and he referred it to the British-Irish secretariat in Belfast. Sinn Féin human rights and equaity spokesperson Bairbre de Brún said that Sinn Feein has consistently rraised the issues of the commission's funding and remit and said she would be seekign a meeting with both governments on these matters.