Proposals for what a bill of rights for Northern Ireland should contain were made today by the North's Human Rights Commission (HRC).
If enacted the recommendations would go considerably further than the current European Convention on Human Rights.
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The proposals, made to Northern Secretary Dr John Reid in preliminary form ahead of widespread public consultation, are wide-ranging and cover almost all aspects of life in the North.
Chief commissioner of the HRC Prof Brice Dickson said with the publication of their proposals "we can all begin to believe that a legal system can at last be put in place which fully protects people against basic injustices".
The report proposed there should be a right to use proportional representation when electing people from the North to Westminster Parliament, the removal of restrictions that prevent people such as prisoners from standing for or voting in elections, and the right to vote at local and Assembly elections at 17 instead of 18.
The Commission said there should be the right to "enjoy one's culture, practice one's religion and use one's language, the right to be nomadic for Travellers and the right not to be treated as a member of a particular community if one does not want to be".
It said: "The proposed non-discrimination clause refers to grounds not currently protected under the European Convention, such as ethnic origin, age, marital or family status, residence, possession of a conviction, sexual orientation, parentage and disability".
The Commission also suggests outlawing harassment or bullying on any of those grounds. The right to life should be strengthened by restricting the circumstances in which law enforcement officials can lawfully employ lethal force.
Better and faster handling of detainees is recommended, as are the restoration of the right to silence and the right to jury trial, fairer trial procedures and improvements to the rights of prisoners and ex-prisoners.
PA