Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Tá mé ag plé cheist na n-ionadaithe tofa i ngach uile thír timpeall an domhain. Bheadh spéis ag an Teachta dá mbeadh sé ag éisteacht. Those killers have never been brought to justice despite that these murders, with the imprimatur of British intelligence, took place over a decade ago. The O'Hagan and Fullerton families also deserve truth and justice, the same as any other family bereaved by the conflict.

Just as we have concerns about human rights violations against democratically elected public representatives, we also have other, perhaps greater, concerns about the general grievous human rights situation in Zimbabwe. The upcoming elections have no chance of being free and fair. Last month's mission by Amnesty International found persistent, long-term and systematic human rights violations. Among these were attacks on at least 855 of the opposition members of the Parliament, including torture and assault. There is continued government intimidation, arbitrary arrests of opposition candidates and supporters and political manipulation of fuel distribution on which millions of Zimbabweans depend. According to UNICEF, 20 Zimbabweans die of HIV-AIDS every hour, yet this is not a political issue for any political party in the upcoming elections.

These are not the greatest concerns we have about the human rights situation in Africa in general. I am at a loss as to why statements on this political issue have been prioritised given that the Government has not yet provided time for statements on the horrific ongoing conflict in Darfur, especially after evidence that Ireland may have been culpable with regard to the supply of arms in this conflict. Neither has time been provided for statements on the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to the world's worst humanitarian crisis with a death toll outstripping even that in Darfur according to the UN emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland.

I take this opportunity to call on the Government to make time for separate statements on the crisis in Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo as soon as possible. I also take the opportunity to express our concerns on the case of Roy Bennett and on the upcoming elections in Zimbabwe.

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