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| Rights body warns powers diluted | Rights body warns powers diluted |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Human Rights Commission wants to be allowed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses involving MI5 or MI6 in Northern Ireland. | The Human Rights Commission wants to be allowed to investigate allegations of human rights abuses involving MI5 or MI6 in Northern Ireland. |
| The Justice and Security Bill, currently before Parliament, exempts the intelligence services from being investigated by the commission. | |
| But commissioner Monica McWilliams saidthe bill dilutes her powers. | |
| She said her office already deals with complaints from people who believe they are targets of covert surveillance. | |
| "We shouldn't be stymied in our work ourselves, if we require documents," she said. | |
| "But you can imagine that stamp of national security, even where it is in the public interest or where there may be an issue of the incompatibility of human rights, we would ask that that not be stamped on our work and prevent us from doing the kind of work that we need to do." | |
| Established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the commission's role is to ensure that human rights in Northern Ireland are protected in law, policy and practice. | Established under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, the commission's role is to ensure that human rights in Northern Ireland are protected in law, policy and practice. |