HUMAN rights in the north must be "fully respected" the Republic's foreign affairs minister has said, following fears Britain is to scrap the Human Rights Act.
Minister Charlie Flanagan, who is due to meet Secretary of State Theresa Villiers next week, said the protection of human rights was a key principle underpinning the Good Friday Agreement.
And he said the "fundamental role" of such rights in preserving peace in the north "must be fully respected".
The new Conservative government wants to repeal the act, which extended the extending the protections listed in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law, and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.
Mr Flanagan told the Seanad yesterday that both the Irish and British governments have a shared responsibility to protect the "human rights aspects of the Good Friday Agreement".
"A shared emphasis on human rights and all that this implies is part of what makes the peace process credible," he said.
"The Government will work closely with the UK Government to ensure that the protection of human rights remains at the heart of civic life, politics and ongoing societal change in Northern Ireland."
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams previously said the plan to scrap the Human Rights Act would be a "grievous breach of the Good Friday Agreement".
He said a repeal would have "enormous" implications for justice, policing and equality in the north.
However, DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said his party has "long been critical" of the act.
"The Human Rights Act has been abused by criminals and terrorists who have used spurious challenges to avoid deportation," he said.
Ms Villiers has defended the plan to scrap the Human Rights Act and said the proposed British Bill of Rights would transfer power to UK courts but would "continue to protect fundamental rights enshrined in the European Convention".
SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell raised his party's concerns about the repeal of the act during a meeting with Ms Villiers yesterday afternoon.
He said the repeal of the act would have "devastating consequences" for the north's devolved institutions.
