Crowley Demands Brittish Government to Begin Independent Inquiry into Killing of Irish Human Rights Defender

CROWLEY DEMANDS BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO BEGIN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO KILLING OF IRISH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER

Chief Deputy Whip Joseph Crowley (D-Queens/Bronx) today announced House approval of legislation calling on the government of the United Kingdom to establish a full, independent public inquiry into the 1989 murder of human rights defender Pat Finucane, a north of Ireland defense attorney. The measure passed late last night.

Congressman Crowley is an original co-sponsor of the House resolution (H.Res 740), which underscores the need for investigation into the British Government's role in Finucane's murder in order to keep the Good Friday Agreement moving forward. The resolution follows the recommendation of international Judge Peter Cory to investigate the murder of Finucane as part of the 2001 Weston Park agreement.

"The peace process in the north of Ireland has been moving along, but unfortunately, not at the pace many of us had hoped for after the acceptance of the Good Friday Agreement by all parties," said Rep. Crowley, co-chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs.

"One of the important things about any peace process is making sure that past atrocities have been fully investigated and the people who committed them be held responsible, which is why this resolution is so important for the peace process" Crowley continued. "The family of Pat Finucane deserves to know the full extent of collusion that existed and caused the death of this husband and father. It is time for the British to allow the truth to come out."

On Feb. 12, 1989, loyalist paramilitaries shot Finucane 14 times as he sat eating a Sunday meal at home, wounding his wife in the process. The couple's three children witnessed the attack. To many in the north of Ireland, the murder of Finucane points to the heart of allegations that British security forces collaborated with loyalist paramilitaries. Finucane had successfully challenged the British government over several important human rights cases.

As part of the Weston Park Accords of 2001, Judge Peter Cory was selected by the British and Irish governments to investigate the possibility of state-sponsored collusion in six high-profile murders. The Weston Park Accords enabled the stalled peace process to move forward.

In October 2003, Judge Cory released his report to the British government and recommended a full public inquiry into the 1989 murder of Patrick Finucane finding that there was sufficient evidence of collusion of British army personnel and the police (the Royal Ulster Constabulary) in Finucane's murder. Weston Park obligated both the British and Irish governments to fully comply with all of Cory's findings. So far, however, the British government has yet to begin an inquiry.

Crowley stated, "The British must live up to their obligations under the Weston Park Agreement and the commitment they made if Judge Cory found evidence warranting a full independent inquiry. It is time for an independent, judicial inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane."

http://crowley.house.gov/news/record.asp?id=810