Irish Aires News

News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)

November 17, 2004

News 11/17/04 - Congressional Letter to Blair

From:  Gerry Coleman (Irish Northern Aid)

Urgent Action Alert! Congressional Sign-On Letter to

Blair --- Public Inquiry into the Murder of Pat

Finucane.

Members who wish to sign on must do so before this

THURSDAY!

Congressman Chris Smith [R - NJ] circulated a letter

among his colleagues in congress to be sent to British

PM Tony Blair urging him to immediately hold a Public

Inquiry in the murder of Patrick Finucane.

You will have to call your member of congress's

Legislative Assistant TOMORROW to sign on. They need

to contact George Phillips, Legislative Assistant,

Congressman Chris Smith at (202) 225-3765.

We will publish the letter on the INAC web site with

the signatories attached.

In his message to encourage Congressman Smith's

colleagues to sign on, Mr. Phillips wrote:

“Despite the fact that both Ireland and Great Britain

have agreed to hold public inquiries into other high

profile murder cases, Great Britain has thus far

refused to hold an inquiry into the violent death of

attorney Patrick Finucane, who was shot more than a

dozen times while eating dinner with his family in his

home 15 years ago.

“Prime Minister Blair stated he would follow through

with a Public Inquiry if Peter Cory, the judge

appointed to investigate the allegations of collusion

in the Finucane case and five others, recommended

further action. In his report, Judge Cory stated

evidence of possible collusion by Army intelligence

and the RUC in the Finucane case.

“However, following the conviction in September of Ken

Barrett for the murder of Patrick Finucane (who

received a life sentence but will be released next

year under the early release provisions of the Good

Friday peace agreement), the British government seemed

to walk away from its commitment in a September 23

statement by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul

Murphy, in which he indicated it would be necessary to

pass new legislation before an inquiry could be held.

“Further delays only feed speculation that the

government is continuing to resist an impartial, full

investigation into the murder.  The prompt holding of

a Public Inquiry is a necessary confidence- building

measure for the whole Northern Ireland peace process

and to see justice accomplished in this important

case.”

Jay Dooling (rdooling@swbell.net)

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