Human rights and justice mean something different for people on many Housing Estates across Northern Ireland than they do for the rest of the people. But this problem runs even deeper. Several murders have been committed since the Agreement by organisations officially on ceasefire. Some statements from Loyalist and Republican politicians seek to rationalise these murders on the grounds that the victims were informers or drug dealers. But this cuts no ice with Alliance.
Murder is murder, no ifs, no buts.
All of these activities constitute some of the worst examples of human rights abuses in the Northern Ireland of today. I am concerned that far too many of our local human rights organisations focus almost exclusively upon the activities of the state, past and present. Silence can too readily be taken for consent. There are insufficient people and bodies speaking out, and condemning these heinous acts. The concept of restorative justice has often been advocated as an alternative to the criminal justice system.