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Jeff Dudgeon, chair of the Ulster Unionist Party association in south Belfast, and one of the first people in Northern Ireland to campaign for gay rights, speaks to the 2025 party conference on legacy. Mr Dudgeon, who convenes the Malone House Group and is a long-time critic of what he says is the anti-UK state imbalance on legacy investigations of the Troubles. He says that the enemies of unionism don't like him calling himself a human rights activist, because they feel they have a monopoly on the term. Video by Ben Lowry, editor of the Belfast News Letter October 13 2025 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in south Belfast

Is Ireland's approach to justice truly fair? This video delves into complex issues surrounding historical accountability and human rights.

Explore the speaker's concerns about perceived hypocrisy and imbalances in current frameworks. Discover insights into efforts to address these critical issues and advocate for a more equitable process.

Learn about the challenges faced by groups seeking to present alternative perspectives and the complexities of interpreting international human rights laws.

#HumanRights #IrishPolitics #LegacyIssues #Article2
Transcript
00:00Ireland's breathtaking hypocrisy, given the hundreds of failed expeditions and the cruel
00:06and devastating cross-border raiding that they led to.
00:11So we know what we are against. Our team are doing great work in that respect. They recognise
00:16the joint framework with Dublin, by definition, goes in the only one direction. There is nothing,
00:24absolutely nothing in it for unionists, let alone victor's families. What we are in favour
00:30of is more problematic and needs discussed, which is why I work in this debate. I'm convener
00:36of the known House Legacy Group, which has a panel of experts. Some are academics, some
00:41lawyers. Baroness Hoy and William Matchett are also members. I call myself a human rights
00:47activist, which descriptor annoys many of our enemies. We think they have an anomaly on human
00:53rights. We must be doing something right, as Hilary Benn refuses to meet the Malone House
00:59Group, while the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and the House of Commons won't call us to give
01:03evidence. They do hear from the Human Rights Commission, the CHA, the Papadouk and Centre
01:09of the Queen's University Law Department, who speak with a single voice and act as a tag
01:13team when called as witnesses. Even the ECHR at Strasbourg recognises Malone House as an NGO
01:20and takes note of our submissions on the gross misinterpretation of Article 2, the right to
01:26life, which the Belfast Courts and our Attorney General, Lord Herner, believe to be wholly writ.
01:32Article 2 required that compliance is not wholly writ, it is arguable.
01:39Article 2 required that compliance is not wholly writ, it is
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