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Carol Nolan TD has called for the law which allows the identity of asylum seekers suspected of a crime to remain hidden to be changed, saying that it is being used to ” inadvertently shield or even assist those who are accused or suspected of committing barbaric acts of murderous violence against women”, something she described as “simply staggering”.
Gardaí last week declined to release the name, image, age or nationality, of the person of interest in the brutal murder of Jamey Carney in Killarney. The suspect, an asylum seeker named Ahmad al-Saqar, is now believed to be in the tribal areas of his native Jordan, leaving Ireland just hours after the murder of Ms Carney.
Gardaí said they did not release the details for legal reasons. The International Protection Act 2015 prohibits the identification of persons seeking asylum in Ireland.
As reported by Gript’s Fatima Gunning last year, in the case of the first ever prosecution brought under the Act, “the law in question, as it is written, amounts to a blanket ban on the publication of the identity of a person who is an international protection applicant with the intention of preventing the person/persons they are fleeing from locating them.”
Fox News reported at the weekend that the “Irish police” are “under fire for refusing to identify reported asylum seeker sought in American mother’s murder”.
“How is the public supposed to help with locating the alleged suspect when Irish authorities won’t even release his name?” former FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Time is of the essence. Every hour or day increases the chance the suspect disappears, destroys evidence or hurts others. Public help is critical. Withholding a photo, name or description for days while the suspect is on the run is counterproductive.”
Parker said that if the roles were reversed and a non-U.S. citizen had been murdered in the United States, authorities would typically release identifying information immediately.
“Law enforcement — local, state and federal, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals — would aggressively release identifying information to the public,” she said. “The public’s help is often what leads to locating fugitives.”
Carol Nolan TD told Gript that “the idea that any provision of our international protection laws would give cover, or inadvertently shield or even assist those who are accused or suspected of committing barbaric acts of murderous violence against women, is simply staggering.”
“There must be a public safety clause that overrides any concerns around confidentiality or the inability to name people and make their appearance public knowledge.,” she said.
“It is preposterous to suggest that protecting the identity of those suspected of heinous crimes somehow trumps the protection of women. But that is where we are apparently. It is a form of legislative or statutory insanity,” she said.
“The Gardai should not be forced to operate with one hand tied behind their back. They must be able to prioritise the safety of Irish citizens or any other woman who has the horrendous misfortune to fall victim to predators within the international protectional system,” the Independent TD for Offaly added.
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