Diplock courts
The Diplock courts were a type of court established by the British Government in Northern Ireland in 1972, in an attempt to deal with paramilitary and terrorist violence in the province. The right to trial by jury was suspended and the court consisted of a single judge in order to overcome the intimidation of potential jurors. The courts were extremely controversial but continued into the 1990s.
The courts were established in response to a report by Lord Diplock, which addressed with the problem of dealing with terrorist violence through means other than internment. The report marked the beginnings of a policy in which the line between political violence and normal crime was systematically erased by the state, with paramilitary prisoners treated as common criminals.
The report provided the basis for the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973, which, although later amended, continued as the basis for anti-terrorist legislation.
See also
- Special Criminal Court — the Republic of Ireland's equivalent of the Diplock courts