Ireland loses bid to revise Hooded Men torture judgment

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

The European Court of Human Rights dismissed Ireland’s request to revise the 1978 Ireland v UK torture judgment on 20 March 2018. The seven-member chamber voted six to one against the application, which concerned evidence disclosed by RTÉ Investigates’ The Torture Files in 2014.

It said that, even if previously unknown facts had been shown, their decisive influence on the judgment could not be established. Judge Síofra O’Leary, the Irish nominee and sole dissenter, described the case as “not standard revision fare”.

Ireland could seek referral to the Grand Chamber, which has 17 judges. A fresh panel would decide whether to accept the referral, something that happens only in exceptional circumstances. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney said the Government would consider the ruling fully. He also said he would meet the men in the coming weeks.

The third anniversary of Gerard McKerr’s death fell on 19 March 2018. He was one of the Hooded Men and had appeared in The Torture Files.