The Guardian 31 December 2014
Amnesty International has predicted that a gay couple will challenge the ban on same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland through the courts in 2015.
On the same day Scotland saw its first same-sex marriage, Amnesty’s new year message in Northern Ireland welcomed any legal case against the ban in the region.
Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland programme director, said: “We look forward to seeing that discrimination being challenged in the Northern Ireland courts during 2015.
“We have long predicted that, should Northern Ireland’s politicians fail in their duty to end such discrimination, then gay people will resort to the legal system to have their human rights as equal citizens vindicated. We expect that to happen in 2015.”
Corrigan added: “That obligation is clear in international law. This means that marriage should be available to same-sex couples in Northern Ireland, just as it is now in Scotland, England and Wales.
“There is still a chance for Northern Ireland’s politicians to do the right thing in 2015. However, if they continue to abdicate their responsibilities, judges instead will be asked to uphold the right of all our citizens not to face discrimination.”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/31/northern-ireland-gay-marriage-ban-legal-challenge-2015-amnesty
