NORTHERN IRELAND:
MONITORING THE 1998 MARCHING SEASON

      
                           
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    •      		    CALL FOR INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO PATRICK FINUCANE'S MURDER

    On February 12, 1989, Belfast lawyer Patrick Finucane was shot dead in front of his family by loyalist gunmen. Since the murder, evidence has come to light that strongly suggests collusion in the murder of Patrick Finucane by United Kingdom government agents. On April 1, 1998, the United nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers issued a report that stated:

    So long as this murder is unresolved, many of the community will continue to lack confidence in the ability of the Government to dispense justice in a fair and equitable manner.

    Addressing the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in April 1998, the special rapporteur added:

    I am convinced that there are compelling reasons for an independent judicial inquiry. . . The doubt which needs to be cleared is whether there was security forces collusion in the murder. That seems to be the outstanding issue and only a judicial inquiry could resolve this .

    In its 1997 report To Serve Without Favor: Policing, Human Rights, and Accountability in Northern Ireland, Human Rights Watch urges the U.K. government to establish "an independent, public inquiry—with powers to administer oaths and to subpoena witnesses and documents—into the killing of Patrick Finucane."

    The government of the United Kingdom has thus far declined to hold a judicial inquiry into this murder. However, the government of the Republic of Ireland has called for a full re-examination of the circumstances surrounding the case.

    Human Rights Watch joins the following international and domestic nongovernmental organizations in appealing to everyone concerned about truth and justice to support the United Nations' call for an inquiry: Amnesty International, International Commission of Jurists, International federation of Human Rights, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Committee on the Administration of Justice, British Irish Rights Watch, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Liberty, and the Scottish Human Rights Centre.

    If you support the United Nations' call for a judicial inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane, print out this form and send it to:

    Rt. Hon. Marjorie Mowlam, MP Secretary of State for Northern Ireland House of Commons London SW1A 0AA England