Independent Monitoring Commission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) is an organisation founded on 7 January 2004, by a treaty between the British and Irish governments, signed in Dublin on 25 November 2003.

The IMC's remit includes:

monitoring any continuing activity by paramilitary groups.

monitoring the commitment by the British Government to a package of security normalisation measures.

handling claims by parties it the Northern Ireland Assembly that a Minister, or another party in the Northern Ireland Assembly, is not committed to non-violence and exclusively peaceful and democratic means, or that a Minister has failed to observe any other terms of the pledge of office, or that a party is not committed to such of its members as are or might become Ministers observing the other terms of the pledge of office.

The IMC submits formal reports to both the British Government and Irish Government.

Sinn Féin have issued legal proceedings against the IMC, through their solicitors in London, Howe & Co, alleging that the IMC Commissioners are "apparently biased" and challenging the IMC's application (or non-application) of a standard of proof in its assessments and reports presented to the two Governments.

[edit] Commissioners

Four commissioners are involved:

Lord Alderdice, former Alliance Party leader; former Speaker of Northern Ireland Assembly, and current Peer in the British House of Lords.
Joe Brosnan, former Secretary General of the Department of Justice, Republic of Ireland.
John Grieve, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and former head of the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terror Branch.
Dick Kerr, former Deputy Director, Central Intelligence Agency.