Welcoming the publication today of the advice by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to the Secretary of State on the proposed NI Bill of Rights, Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International said:

"Ten years on from the Belfast Agreement, Amnesty International welcomes the advice today from the Human Rights Commission. Northern Ireland's past has been marked by too many human wrongs. It's time for politicians to put old divisions behind them to ensure Northern Ireland's future is one of human rights.

"Amnesty International will take care to study the proposals in detail before giving a response to the content of the advice itself. However, today, a significant step forward has been taken towards Northern Ireland achieving its own Bill of Rights, appropriate to its circumstances as a region still afflicted by division and the legacy of conflict and still suffering significant pockets of social and economic inequality.

"We now call on the UK government to move quickly to consult fully with the people of Northern Ireland as the next important stage in this process."