The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) works to promote human rights and ensure the equitable administration of justice in Northern Ireland.
The Committee aims to promote the highest standards in the administration of justice in Northern Ireland by seeking to ensure that the government abides by its international human rights obligations. It takes no position on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland, and is opposed to the use of violence for political ends.
The organisation has received numerous awards in recognition of its work to promote human rights in Northern Ireland, including the prestigious Council of Europe Human Rights Prize in 1998 for its efforts in ensuring the mainstreaming of human rights and equality protections in the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement.
CAJ's activities include publishing reports, conducting research, holding conferences, monitoring, campaigning locally and internationally, individual casework and providing legal advice. Its areas of work are extensive and include prisons, policing, emergency laws, the criminal justice system, the use of lethal force, children's rights, equality, racism, religious discrimination, and advocacy for a Bill of Rights.
CAJ works closely with sister organisations throughout Britain and Ireland (Liberty as well as the Irish and Council of Civil Liberties) and is affiliated to the International Federation of Human Rights.
Just News
Just News is CAJ's Human Rights Bulletin. This newsletter is Northern Ireland's only monthly publication dealing specifically with human rights across the range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It has been providing information and analysis of developments in the field of human rights since 1985.
The eight-page magazine contains news and analysis on issues such as policing, criminal justice, equality, a Bill of Rights and international human rights law.
It allows users to search for a specific subject by using the Just News Index, going back to 1985. Any article published since 1998 can be found in the online archive. For articles published before 1998, researchers are requested to contact the CAJ offices.
