Sir, – In Ireland’s application for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ireland’s representative to the UN, Anne Anderson, said Ireland’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights “is an underlying principle of our foreign policy” (Home News, June 4th).
The failure to investigate CIA rendition flights passing through Shannon airport suggests otherwise. So too does the reluctance of successive Irish governments to put inspection procedures in place for suspected rendition aircraft.
Until such time as Ireland addresses these serious breaches of human rights, it cannot consider itself suitable or ready to sit in judgment on the human rights performance of other countries. – Yours, etc,