Sinn Féin Seanadóir, Niall Ó Donnghaile, has today called a decision by a British Upper Tribunal, that the Good Friday Agreement is not a constitutional document, as ‘extraordinary and concerning’.

Seanadóir Ó Donnghaille said: 

“Over time the DeSouza case has revealed extraordinary and concerning tendencies of the British judiciary to roll back the status of Irish citizenship in the north, and that of the Good Friday Agreement which underpins it.

“The latest claim by a British Upper Tribunal on the status of the Good Friday Agreement is yet another unacceptable denigration of the agreement and the basic rights of Irish citizens in the north.

“The Good Friday Agreement is an internationally recognised and legally binding treaty, overwhelmingly endorsed by people across the island of Ireland, and guaranteed in law by both the Irish and British governments.

“I urge Tánaiste Simon Coveney to step up his efforts on this issue, and make immediate contact with the British government for clarity on this matter.

“Sinn Féin stand unequivocally behind the DeSouzas in their efforts to assert and protect their right to Irish citizenship in law.”