Áine Ryan
AS CORRIB documentary, The Pipe, wins another prestigious international film award, a human rights observer for Amnesty International and Front Line will start work this week in north Mayo, where protests continue against the controversial project.
Risteard Ó’Domhnaill’s hard-hitting documentary recently took the overall prize, the Grand Prix, at Circom, the network of regional European broadcasters, which has a membership of over 300 television stations. The award ceremony was held in Romania earlier this month.
TG4’s Commissioning Editor, Prionsias NÍ Ghráinne said this latest prize further enhances the channel’s established reputation as an acknowledged creator and supporter of excellence and innovation in programme making.
“TG4 has been a consistent winner at Circom over the past decade and this latest recognition proves the quality of our programmes resonates with our European colleagues,” said Ms Ní Ghráinne.
Meanwhile, Australian, Ms Sarah Bassiuoni, will this week take up the post of human rights observer of the Corrib protest.
Ms Bassiuoni has a law degree and an MA in human rights and democratization. She has extensive experience working in other jurisdictions, specifically in relation to community policing and the policing of protests.
Funded jointly by Amnesty and Frontline, she will work with a team of trained voluntary human rights observers in north Mayo.
The organisations said that the joint Corrib monitoring initiative was based on issues raised by Front Line’s previous research, and the aim was to ‘maintain a regular presence in the Corrib area’.
A report published in April 2010 by Front Line classified those involved in peaceful protest against the project as human rights defenders under United Nations guidelines.
The report by barrister Brian Barrington recommended that a review of Corrib policing policies and practices – which had been sought in 2007 by the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission and refused by the then justice minister should be revisited.
It said that the justice minister’s power to veto such a proposal by the Garda Ombudsman was a ‘major weakness in the system’.
The report recommended that gardaí who had been involved for long periods in policing work on Corrib should be deployed to other duties, such as community policing.
