27 years have passed, and still there is no justice in the Patrick Finucane case. It is high time that the UK Government fulfilled it human rights obligations and conducted an independent, effective and thorough investigation into the death of Patrick Finucane by way of a public inquiry. Nothing less than a public inquiry will suffice.
The Government has previously apologised to the Finucane family, acknowledging that Patrick Finucane’s death involved collusion between the UK Government and loyalist paramilitaries, and promised the family a public inquiry. However, despite the apology and the acknowledgement of state collusion, the Government chose to renege on that promise, with there having only been paper based reviews of the case to date. As the Human Rights Committee held in 2015, paper based reviews in place of a full public inquiry are inadequate: if the truth is to be unearthed, it will only be through a full public inquiry.
In its 2015 judgment, the High Court described the State’s collusion in Patrick Finucane’s murder as “abominations which amounted to the most conspicuously bad, glaring and flagrant breach of the obligation of the state to protect the life of its citizen and to ensure the rule of law.” The Court also found that for over two decades significant and relevant information about the murder of Patrick Finucane has been withheld by the Government from Patrick Finucane’s family and the Department of Public Prosecutions.
Yasmine Ahmed, Director of Rights Watch (UK) stated:
"The Finucane family have been waiting 27 long years for justice. The only way that the truth will be obtained, and the family given the justice they so richly deserve, is for there to be a full and effective public inquiry."
ENDS
For further information contact info@rightsandsecurity.org
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