| Once again, the British Government has refused to honor its own court rulings, pledges, and international law, regarding the murder of civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane. It has again refused a public inquiry which would reveal the extent of British state complicity in the murder and has instead told the Finucane family to again make complaints to the constabulary or ombudsman, in other words, to continue with the very process that the British Courts have found as insufficient. We can only conclude that Britain has much to hide. AOH National President, Daniel J O’Connell, added “the British Government’s refusal to hold a public inquiry demonstrates the same brutality of the gunmen who shot Pat Finucane 14 times while he sat at the dinner table with his wife and three young children on February 12, 1989. Finucane’s killing was one of the first cases that broke open the truth about Britain’s collusion with loyalist agents to commit murder. British agents within the loyalist Ulster Defense Association working for the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary targeted Mr. Finucane and supplied the weapons.“ The Finucane family contends that the collusion was approved at top levels within the British government; only a public inquiry can get to the truth and full disclosure. Under the agreement made in 2001 at Weston Park, the British government committed to a public inquiry. Since that time the British Government has repeatedly stalled and reneged. British Prime Minister David Cameron apologized for what he described as “frankly shocking levels of collusion” but then directed only a review of documents. The British Supreme Court and Belfast High Court, have upheld the Finucane family’s claim that all investigations into the murder to date have been legally insufficient. Why does Britain continue to refuse a public inquiry? What more are they hiding? The AOH, America’s oldest and largest Irish American organization has stood behind the Finucane family’s campaign for justice from the very beginning. Last week 24 members of Congress signed a Congressional letter appealing for a public inquiry, many of whom did so after calls from AOH members. We will continue to stand behind the Finucane family and other victims’ families fighting for justice.” MARTIN GALVIN FFAI Chairman |