Sinn Fein News, 8 March 2006
17 years ago the lawyer Pat Finucane was murdered. After 17 years of campaigning for an inquiry by the family,
the British Government agreed when reports by a judge and Britain's most senior policeman said
members of the security forces had colluded with Mr Finucane's UDA killers. But they still refuse
Mr Finucane's family a public inquiry. Instead, new legislation, known as the Inquiries Act, was passed
in order to hold the Finucane inquiry under different conditions, where ministers could order
that some material remain secret. The family have run a worldwide campaign - so far successful - to get judges
to refuse to run the inquiry under those terms. In February 2006 Mrs Finucane met Secretary of State Peter Hain
about the case and accused him of pandering to security agencies.
Dáil demands full public inquiry for Finucane
Full Motion of the Dáil (Irish Parliament):
That Dáil Éireann,
recalling the brutal murder of solicitor, Patrick Finucane, at his home in
Belfast on 12th February, 1989;
— noting the on-going allegations of collusion between loyalist
paramilitaries and British security forces in the murder of Mr. Finucane;
— recalling the commitments made at the Weston Park talks in July 2001 by
the British Government to hold a public inquiry into the Finucane case, if
so recommended by the Honourable Judge Peter Cory, it being clearly
understood that such an inquiry would be held under the UK Tribunals of
Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921;
— noting that Judge Cory found sufficient evidence of collusion to warrant a
public inquiry into the case and recommended that such an inquiry take place
without delay;
— recalling that in his conclusions, Judge Cory set out the necessity and
imporan of a public inquiry into this case and that the failure to hold a
public inquiry as quickly as reasonably possible could be seen as a denial
of the agreement at Weston Park;
— noting that the limited form of inquiry under the UK Inquiries Act 2005,
proposed by the British Government has been rejected as inadequate by Judge
Cory, the Finucane family, the Government and human rights groups;
— commends the Finucane family for their courageous campaign to seek the
truth in this case of collusion;
— deeply regrets the British Government's failure to honour its commitment
to implement Judge Cory's recommenadation in full;
— welcomes the sustained support of successive Governments and all parties
for the Finucane family over the past decade in their efforts to find the
truth behind the murder;
— acknowledges the work of the Oireachtas sub-Committee on Human Rights in
highlighting this case;
— welcomes the Taoiseach's commitment and efforts in pursuing the case with
the British Prime Minister Tony Blair;
— endorses the Government's international efforts at highlighting the case
in the U.S., at the United Nations and at the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg;
— calls on the British Government to reconsider its position on the Finucane
case to take full account of the family's objections and amend the UK
Inquiries and
— calls for the immediate establishment of a full, independent, public
judicial inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, as recommended by Judge
Cory, which would enjoy the full co-operation of the in family and the wider
community throughout Ireland and abroad.''
— An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern; An Tánaiste agus an tAire Sláinte agus Leanai,
Mary Harney; Leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny; Leader of the Labour Party,
Pat Rabbitte;Leader of the Green Party, Trevor Sargent; Leader of Sinn Féin,
Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin.
Comment by Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin TD
Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin TD has welcomed today's All-Party
Dáil motion calling on the British government to fulfil its commitment to
hold a full public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat
Finucane. The motion is signed by party leaders in the Dáil including Deputy
Ó Caoláin, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the Tánaiste Mary Harney, Fine Gael
leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Pat Rabbitte.
Deputy Ó Caoláin said: "All-party motions of any kind are a rarity in the
Oireachtas and today's motion is highly significant and shows the strength
of support for the Finucane family in their demand for a full inquiry as
required by Judge Peter Cory. By refusing to hold such an inquiry the
British government is in breach of its own commitments given at the Weston
Park talks.
"The main obstacle to an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane is the
British government's insistence that it must be held under the odious
Inquiries Act which would give a British minister the power of veto over the
evidence given, the duration of the inquiry and the final report. Pressure
must be brought to bear on the British government to repeal that Act.
"The Taoiseach should now use this Dáil motion as part of an international
effort to bring attention to this anti-human rights legislation and to press
the case for an inquiry. The Finucane case and the issue of collusion in
general should be raised in a systematic way by the Irish government at EU
and UN level.
"As a follow-on to this motion the Taoiseach should call a special summit
meeting with Tony Blair devoted exclusively to the single issue of collusion
between British state forces and loyalist gangs, collusion that led directly
to many deaths throughout this island."
