International and local human rights organizations marked the first anniversary of the murder of Rosemary Nelson by urging the UK government to act immediately to set up an independent inquiry into all the circumstances surrounding her death.
Rosemary Nelson was killed by a car bomb in Lurgan on 15 March 1999. Loyalist paramilitaries later claimed responsibility for her murder. She was killed following numerous death threats and after many appeals had been made to the authorities to protect her life. Her murder seriously undermined the rule of law in Northern Ireland since the UK government and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) so tragically failed to protect her or to deal with the alleged intimidation of defence lawyers by RUC officers.
The many questions in the wake of Rosemary Nelson's murder cannot be dealt with by the current criminal investigation because it is limited to the specific circumstances of the murder. We therefore urge the UK authorities to meet their obligations under international standards to carry out an independent, thorough and impartial inquiry into these questions.
The inquiry should investigate Rosemary Nelson's complaints about RUC harassment and intimidation and how the authorities ultimately failed to protect her life. It is also vital to examine allegations of RUC harassment and intimidation of other lawyers through their clients in special interrogation centres.
Amnesty International
British Irish rights watch
Center for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists
Committee on the Administration of Justice
Human Rights Watch
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
Liberty
Pat Finucane Centre
Relatives for Justice
Scottish Centre for Human Rights
