For many years, Amnesty International has been concerned about the administration of justice in Northern Ireland in general. The international human rights organization has been especially preoccupied with the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Patrick Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, and allegations of harassment and intimidation of defence lawyers by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

Below is a brief overview of our concerns, with links to enable you to reach fuller information. Several of these links are to other web pages; to return to this one, just use the "Back" button on your browser.

• The killing of Patrick Finucane.

In 1989 a Belfast lawyer, Patrick Finucane, was shot and killed in front of his family. Serious and repeated allegations have been made about the possibility of collusion between the killers and members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and/or military intelligence officers. For details, please click here.
 

• Information from a double agent.

The trial of Mr. Brian Nelson brought to light some troubling information. He had been recruited by the security forces as a double agent, providing information to security forces while also serving as a member of the Ulster Defence Association. He was later prosecuted for involvement in murder. At his trial he claimed that he had informed his handlers just before the shooting of Patrick Finucane that there was to be an assassination, and that this information was not acted upon. At the same trial, a senior member of the security forces identified only as "Colonel J.", testified that they had informed the Royal Ulster Constabulary of the planned assassination of Mr. Finucane. Details on Mr. Nelson can be found in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur, par. 63.
 

• The Stevens enquiry.

There was an internal enquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane conducted by John Stevens, a senior police officer. The British government has refused to publish the results of that enquiry.  We do not know whether John Stevens recommended the prosecution of Brian Nelson, or his handlers. We do not know if any evidence of collusion was brought out. We do not know if it was decided, or by whom, that prosecutions should not be brought. And we do not know whether the Cabinet was involved in making any such decision.
 

• A public stance by lawyers in Northern Ireland.

On 14 January 1998 a group of 33 lawyers in Northern Ireland issued a statement calling for respect for human rights and condemning harassment of lawyers. For the text of the statement and the names of the signatories, please click here.
 

• Report of the UN Special Rapporteur.

In 1998, a United Nations Special Rapporteur published a report on justice in Northern Ireland calling for a judicial enquiry into allegations of collusion between the killers of Patrick Finucane and security forces. He also concluded that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary had harassed and intimidated defence lawyers. For the full text of the report of the UN Special Rapporteur, please click here.
 

• Amnesty calls for independent judicial enquiry.

Early in 1999, Amnesty International, along with a variety of other national and international NGOs, called for an independent judicial enquiry into the killing of Patrick Finucane as proposed by the UN Special Rapporteur. For the text of the appeal, please click here.
 

• The murder of Rosemary Nelson.

On 15 March 1999, another lawyer, Rosemary Nelson, was killed by a car bomb. She had complained of harassment and intimidation by the Royal Ulster Constabulary, and said she had received death threats.  Again, the question of collusion between paramilitary assassins and security forces was raised. For details of the assassination of Rosemary Nelson, please click here.
 

• Investigation into the murder of Rosemary Nelson;

An investigation into the death of Rosemary Nelson was launched immediately. However, it was to be carried out by the Royal Ulster Constabulary itself. It was quickly changed, with an English Chief Constable being asked to take charge, with the assistance of the FBI. Amnesty International expressed regret that this enquiry was not independent: while it involved a senior officer from outside, as well as the FBI, the officers carrying out the investigation were still members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary itself.

• Arrest of William Alfred Stobie for the murder of Patrick Finucane.

In June 1999, Mr. William Alfred Stobie was charged with the murder of Patrick Finucane. He denied the charge, and stated that he too had been an informant for the security forces, and that just before the shooting of Patrick Finucane he had given warning that an assassination was about to be carried out. He claims to have given sufficient detail for them to find the intended victim and prevent the killing, as well as to find the weapon used.
 

• Panorama programme: more allegations of collusion.

In June 1999, the BBC television series Panorama aired a programme where there were further allegations made about the possible collusion between members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and paramilitary killers. For a report in the Irish News on the Panorama programme, please click here.
 

• US Congress blocks funding for RUC

On 22 July the US House of Representatives voted unanimously to cut      funding from US-sponsored training and exchange programmes with the RUC. Any future funding for such programmes has been tied to calls for a full, dependent inquiry into the murder of Rosemary Nelson and Patrick Finucane as well as to the protection of defence lawyers from harassment by the RUC. The bill has yet to be put before the US Senate before it is passed and signed by the President. Still, the Rosemary Nelson Campaign, the Pat Finucane Centre and a number of other Irish human rights groups have welcomed the move. To see the text of the decision, please click here.
 

• Arrest of a second man for the murder of Patrick Finucane.

On 30 July 1999 a second man is arrested in connection with the death of Patrick Finucane: Mr. Mark Barr of Belfast. Please click here to go to the BBC news item. To go to a report in the Irish Times, please click here.
 

• Journalist a potential prisoner of conscience.

Ed Moloney, Northern Ireland editor of The Sunday Tribune, has been ordered to hand over to the police his notes from a 1990 interview with a police informer about claims that security forces had colluded in the murder of Belfast lawyer Patrick Finucane in 1989. Amnesty International says that if he is prosecuted for refusing to do so, he will be adopted as a prisoner of conscience. Please click here for the text of the press release.

The need for an independent judicial enquiry into the murders of Patrick Finucane and Rosemary Nelson is clear.

The recommendations on the administration of justice in Northern Ireland contained in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur must be fully implemented.

You can add your weight to these appeals by writing courteously worded letters to the Prime Minister and to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at the addresses below:

The Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London SW1
United Kingdom
 

The Rt. Hon. Peter Mandelson
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Office
Stormont Castle
Belfast BT4 3ST
Northern Ireland

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