The Justice Minister's criminal legal aid changes are undermining access to justice and people's fundamental rights. They will especially impact people in vulnerable situations - such as people struggling with homelessness or addiction. We call on the Minister to reverse this policy immediately.

🍪 There's one thing we can all agree on: we're fed up with misleading cookie banners. 🚫 And we finally have a chance to get rid of them! 💡 The solution? Simple! Express your privacy preferences once, for example via your browser or device, and have them respected permanently.

Well done to Osgur and all those who campaigned with and for him. It is shocking that this has taken 50 years. A public inquiry into the Garda 'Heavy Gang' is essential.

Irish Council for Civil Liberties 🏳️‍🌈@iccl.bsky.social · 2w ago

Osgur Breatnach's wrongful conviction for the 1976 Sallins Train Robbery was today declared a miscarriage of justice. This is a huge step for Osgur and his campaign. An independent public inquiry must follow. @cajni.bsky.social @amnesty.org @finucanecentre.bsky.social www.rte.ie/news/2026/07...

Osgur Breatnach's wrongful conviction for the 1976 Sallins Train Robbery was today declared a miscarriage of justice. This is a huge step for Osgur and his campaign. An independent public inquiry must follow. @cajni.bsky.social @amnesty.org @finucanecentre.bsky.social www.rte.ie/news/2026/07...

Sallins conviction declared miscarriage of justice

The wrongful conviction of Osgur Breatnach for the Sallins train robbery half a century ago has now been declared a miscarriage of justice.

rte.ie

Are you LGBTQ+ and living in the Republic of Ireland? The CROSSROADS wants to hear about your experiences of safety, belonging, discrimination, online hostility and public life in Ireland today. crossroadsstudy.typeform.com/crossroads

The government is giving An Garda Síochána access to facial recognition technology and other biometric tools to identify and track us. This puts our rights at risk! Sign our petition to stop facial recognition technology www.iccl.ie/i-do-not-con... #FRT #biometricanalysis

A healthy democracy requires strong and vibrant culture, media and civil society. During the Irish Presidency, Ireland will chair negotiations on the EU's next seven-year budget. We are working in the Future of Europe Coalition to protect funding for our cultural, media and civil society sectors.

The Minister has repeatedly stated that this Bill would provide gardaí with the power to compel a person to remove a face covering but after the completion of pre-legislative scrutiny and Dáil debate, and on the day of the final Seanad debate. The minister has published amendments to do this!

50 years ago today, a group of activists, academics and lawyers gathered in Trinity College Dublin for the inaugural meeting of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

This week the Oireachtas voted yet again to keep the Special Criminal Court, a non-jury court set up during the Troubles. The Court violates our rights to trial by jury, to silence and to a fair trial. Renewing emergency legislation each year isn’t good enough. Abolish the Special Criminal Court.

The Oireachtas votes annually to maintain the Special Criminal Court. It is a court which violates people’s right to a jury trial, right to silence and right to a fair trial.  What was once a temporary measure introduced by a State in turmoil has now been in operation for 53 years. #AboilishTheSCC

Ireland is poised to give An Garda Síochána expanded powers to use AI to analyse biometric data. The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025 is set to pass in the Seanad today, the penultimate stage before signing into law by the President.

Across the world, fundamental rights and freedoms are being dismantled as State power and corporate interests find common cause with a well-funded and coordinated anti-rights agenda. This week, we launched our new Strategy 'Fighting for Democracy: Safeguarding our Freedoms and Rights'.

Thank you to everone who joined us this week as we celebrated our 50th anniversary with Trinity Law School. #ICCL50 #CivilLiberties

Thank you to everone who joined us yesterday as we celebrated our 50th anniversary with Trinity Law School. Since our foundation in 1976, ICCL has fought on a wide range of civil liberty and human rights issues.

Democracy doesn't defend itself. Johnny Ryan, Illan Wall and Eileen Culloty join moderator Róisín Costello from Trinity School of Law to discuss the challenges ahead for democracy and civil liberties as part of ICCL’s 50th Anniversary Conference. #ICCL50 #CivilLiberties #Democracy

When is biometric identification not biometric identification? When the minister says so. A new Garda AI bill would allow gardaí use facial recognition & biometrics like gait to track people in CCTV footage. @tupped.bsky.social @tjmcintyre.com @digitalrightsirl.bsky.social @olgacronin.bsky.social

. @iccl.bsky.social and @digitalrightsirl.bsky.social have expressed serious concerns with this FRT/Garda AI bill. It's back in the Seanad for report stage next Tuesday. Please consider signing our petition - time is running out. www.iccl.ie/i-do-not-con...

I Do Not Consent to Facial Recognition Technology - Irish Council for Civil Liberties

Human rights

iccl.ie

Yesterday, the Minister for Justice told the Seanad that a proposed new novel Irish Garda AI power - ‘biometric analysis’ - is not biometric identification as per the AI Act. We @iccl.bsky.social and @digitalrightsirl.bsky.social beg to differ. www.iccl.ie/wp-content/u...

Nesxt Tuesday, Kieran Rose, Conor Brady and Olga Cronin will reflect on 50 years of civil liberties in a panel discussion hosted by Judge Marie Baker as part of our 50th Anniversary Conference. Get your tickets now: www.tickettailor.com/events/irish... #ICCL50 #CivilLiberties

Today is an incredibly important day for Pat Finucane's family, as a public inquiry into his murder finally begins. For over three decades, Mr Finucane’s family have campaigned for truth, justice and accountability. We hope the inquiry brings this a step closer. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

Geraldine Finucane: 13,633 days since my husband was shot dead in front of me. 13,633 days seeking the truth

If a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane can finally examine publicly all of the collusion that plagued our society for so many years, there is hope that a real process of healing can begin

irishtimes.com

See our briefing note on The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025 www.iccl.ie/police-justi...

Garda AI bill risks confusion and skirting EU rules on facial recognition

A new government Bill which would introduce AI-powered biometric tracking into Irish policing risks creating legal uncertainty, reducing transparency for the public, and weakening fundamental rights.

iccl.ie

An Garda Síochána is rolling out body-worn cameras nationwide after a pilot. Without publishing the pilot findings or providing evidence to back up the claims gardaí make about them. An Garda needs to publish the pilot review and the code of practice, before any further rollout.

RIP Brian McNally. Brian was one of the Sallins Men who were falsely accused, wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1976 Sallins train robbery. ICCL continues to stand with Osgur Breatnach, Nicky Kelly and the Sallins Men in their fight for truth, justice and a full public inquiry.

The Irish Times@irishtimes.com · 2mo ago

Brian McNally, wrongfully convicted for Sallins train robbery, dies aged 83

“Many people may feel they have really little choice but to agree to share personal data, and that’s when you wonder, are people signing up for discounts, or are they just signing up to not be charged for not signing up?” - @olgacronin.bsky.social. www.thejournal.ie/consent-supe...

Can consumers really opt out of supermarket loyalty schemes when some price differences are so big?

Civil liberties campaigners say consumers have a right to consent to their data being collected – but when opting out means paying more, do we really have a choice?

thejournal.ie

The media reports that An Garda Síochána will roll out body-worn cameras nationwide, without publishing the final report on the pilot. It’s not enough to simply say they are useful. We need to see evidence and we need to consider the risks and how they are controlled. www.iccl.ie/news/questio...

Questions remain about body-worn cameras as An Garda plans for national rollout

An Garda Síochána is rolling out body-worn cameras nationally without publishing the final assessment report of its pilot.

iccl.ie

Our Executive Director Joe O'Brien appeared on @rteradio1.bsky.social yesterday and raised some of our concerns about the Minister for Justice's plans to change criminal legal aid. @lawsocietyireland.bsky.social

We are delighted to announce the appointment of @johnnyryan.bsky.social to Adjunct Full Professor at the UCD Centre for Digital Policy! Johnny is a globally recognised expert and scholar whose work and litigation has influenced digital law and policy in Europe and the United States.

Johnny Ryan - UCD Centre for Digital Policy

Dr Johnny Ryan (FRHistS) is the Director of Enforce, ICCL's unit holding Big Tech to account under European law. He is the architect of class-action

digitalpolicy.ie

We’ve spent 50 years campaigning for civil liberties in Ireland and the fight is far from over. Join at our 50th Anniversary Conference as Mary Carolan interviews former president Dr Mary McAleese about the years and challenges ahead. www.tickettailor.com/events/irish... #ICCL50 #CivilLiberties

Olga Cronin, ICCL Senior Policy Officer, spoke at the Oireachtas AI Committee recently, where she shared our position on recommender algorithms and a social media ban for under 16s.