Contents

Pat Finucane Inquiry Appeal

The publication of an full page appeal for an independent inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane in Irish and British newspapers last week continues to have reverberations in the legal and political community. The General Council of the Bar in Northern Ireland has since added its influential voice to the calls for an investigation of the murder. Over two hundred additional signatories from lawyers have come into the centre since the advertisement appeared in the newspapers. There is a definite sense of movement in the case similar to the stage reached prior to the announcement of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry by the British government. Pressure however needs to be kept up. Meanwhile the taoiseach has agreed to meet Relatives For justice and the relatives of those killed in the Dublin Monaghan bombings of 1974. Next week we will post information on the Justice for the Forgotten group representing those killed in Dublin/Monaghan.

Return to Contents List.

Ludlow Public Meeting

As advertised in earlier updates the family of murdered Dundalk man Seamus Ludlow held a very successful press conference in Dublin on Thursday February 18 followed by a public meeting in Dundalk attended by over 500 people. Five TDs (elected members of the Irish parliament) spoke at the press conference. At the later public meeting Jane Winter of British Irish Rights Watch (BIRW) presented a report into the case. That report will soon be available on a new website from BIRW. Hard copies are obtainable from the PFC. For further details into the Ludlow case access our menu page on the website.

Return to Contents List.

No such thing as 'guilty relatives' claim

In a press statement the Pat Finucane Centre has criticised Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR) accusing the S.Armagh organisation of "attempting to create a hierarchy of 'good' and 'bad' victims and by implication a hierarchy of 'innocent' and 'guilty' relatives." Earlier this week FAIR announced a campaign for all 'genuine' victims and called for an end to the early release of prisoners. Martin Finucane from the PFC slammed the " hypocrisy of those who call for an end to prisoner releases whilst exempting those who killed 'republicans'. At the launch of FAIR spokesman Brian Mc Connell stated that those convicted of killing 'republicans' should be released and added that such individuals were deserving of a medal from the government."

The PFC statement continued, " Even more galling is the attempt by FAIR and Mc Connell to imply that some relatives are 'innocent' while others, such as the Loughgall relatives, are somehow 'guilty' by association. It must be made clear that all relatives are by definition innocent, whether those of RUC officers, British soldiers, members of the IRA, UVF or UDA. There is no such thing as a guilty relative.

Brian Mc Connell is himself an innocent relative. This holds true irregardless of the fact that his uncle, Robert Mc Connell, a member of the UDR who was killed by the IRA in 1976, was one of the four main suspects in the worst atrocity of the past 30 years, the bombing of Dublin and Monaghan in 1974. Thirty three people died in the combined car bomb attacks. Robert Mc Connell, who was named in the First Tuesday television documentary into the bombings as one of the main suspects, was also suspected of involvement in a series of sectarian assassinations in the mid 1970s. Given Robert Mc Connell's alleged role as a mass murderer and sectarian assassin it ill behoves his nephew to talk of 'genuine' victims and innocent relatives as if to suggest that one particular group in this society has emerged from the past thirty bloody years with clean hands and a monopoly on Old Testament righteousness." Martin Finucane, brother of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, told the Irish News, "all victims have a right to be remembered equally. It is time that FAIR, the DUP and their friends in the Tory right wing who wish to sabotage the Good Friday Agreement realised this simple truth. FAIR recently met Conservative MP Andrew Mackay who did not feel it necessary to break off his holiday in the wake of the Omagh bombing. Andrew Mackay MP is exploiting the emotions of those relatives opposed to the present peace process in order to make cheap political points. FAIR has the right to campaign for recognition and better compensation. The group does not have the right to malign, insult and marginalise others who have lost loved ones. Grief does not differentiate between a lost child on the streets of Dublin, a lost brother at Loughgall, or indeed a lost uncle as is the case with Brian Mc Connell. The self righteous and arrogant contribution of FAIR to the discussion around victims has done nothing to secure better understanding of the real human problems faced by those represented by the group.

Return to Contents List.

Peter Mc Bride Judicial Review

Since the last updates were posted there has been a significant and welcome development in the Peter Mc Bride case. Following an application by solicitors acting on behalf of the family a Belfast court has agreed to allow a judicial review of the Army Board decision to go ahead on March 10 at the High Court in Belfast at 9.30am. At an oral hearing legal counsel for the Ministry of Defence attempted to argue that a judicial review should not be allowed go ahead but this was overruled. In November 1998 the Army Board, which included the Armed Forces Minister Doug Henderson, decided that the two British soldiers convicted of the 1992 murder of Peter Mc Bride, Guardsmen Mark Wright and James Fisher, should be allowed to continue serving in their regiment despite the murder convictions. This scandalous decision was justified with the claim that so called 'exceptional circumstances' existed, a claim rejected by the court which convicted the two men. In an unprecedented move this decision will now be subjected to legal scrutiny by a court of law. This is the first time that this has happened since the conflict began. We are hopeful that the 'exceptional circumstances' clause in Queens Regulations which justified the decision will be rejected by the court but two hurdles remain for the Mc Bride family when the review begins. Legal counsel for the Ministry of Defence will attempt to argue that the mother of the victim does not have 'sufficient interest' under law to intervene in the decision and also that the relationship between the Army and the two soldiers does not involve a matter of public law. Should the court reject the application by the Mc Bride family to have the Army Board decision overturned a case will be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.

Return to Contents List.

Hamill Trial Date

The trial of Paul Hobson, the only man still charged in connection with the murder of Robert Hamill in Portadown in April 1997, is set to begin on Monday February 22 in Armagh. Extensive documentation on the case is available on the website. Robert Hamill and three companions were set upon by a loyalist mob in the centre of Portadown as they returned home in the early hours of April 27 1997. Robert later died from his injuries. The following day the RUC claimed that two rival gangs had been involved and that RUC officers at the scene attempted to intervene but were themselves attacked. The RUC later admitted that none of the above was actually true. No rival gangs were involved, the RUC in a nearby landrover refused to come to the aid of Robert and his companions and no attack was made on the RUC at the scene. Despite a widespread public campaign those officers present in the landrover, Constable Andrew Neill and Reserve Constables Aktinson, Cornett and Sharpe have not been suspended from duty. In the past week it has been announced that CCTV security cameras are to be installed in the centre of Portadown. This is more than a little ironic since several security cameras were installed at the time of the attack in banks, building societies etc yet the RUC have refused to release any such videos in their possession to the solicitor acting on behalf of the family, Rosemary Nelson.

Return to Contents List.

To Hell with Human Rights- Pope John Paul

The intervention this week by the head of the Catholic church, Pope John Paul 11, on behalf of the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet will do little to enhance the Vatican's image as the crucible of morality and upholder of human rights. A so called private intervention with the British Government was made calling for the dictator to be allowed return to Chile and escape extradition to Spain where he is wanted in connection with the murder and disappearances of Spanish citizens during the dictatorship. Pinochet is said to be a committed Catholic. Committed Catholics and Christians worldwide might wonder how a mass murderer with the blood of thousands on his hands appears to have such friends in high places. One of them is a cardinal who has the ear of the Pope and, by chance, was a cardinal in Chile during the dirty war in the early seventies. Had he raised his voice at the time as was his Christian duty many lives might have been saved. That the head of the Catholic church should now intervene on Pinochet's behalf is an insult to the memory of the dead and brings shame on the Vatican.

Return to Contents List.

CD Fundraiser for the Pat Finucane Centre

A reminder to all subscribers! The New York based Devil's Advocates and The United 32s have released an eighteen-song CD of traditional Irish music, punk rock,hip-hop, ska and jazz titled Snipers In Derelict Houses. Much of Snipers In Derelict Houses deals with the conflict in the north of Ireland. The album's title is a line from its lead track, "1 Para," a song about the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry in 1972. Other tracks on the album concern the summer marching season, the plight of Irish political refugees in the U.S., and losses suffered by victims of the war at the hands of those responsible for engineering it.

Joining the Devil's Advocates -- bassist/singer Pedro Gingerich, tin whistler/singer Diane George, and guitarist/singer Scott M.X. Turner, and ex-drummers John Celentano and James Speed-eee Lee -- are guests aplenty: accordionist Will Holshouser, uilleann piper Larry Otway, guitarist nez d.,fiddler Holly McWhorter, and dance-mix producers Gigi & Pop. Stunning visual art is provided by Conor McGrady and Kevin Noble, and a sweet design package from Punknet.com's own Marc Lefton.

The biggest reason why you should order a copy…its a fundraiser for the Pat Finucane Centre. Snipers In Derelict Houses is available by mail-order from Triage Records for $15, plus $1.50 for shipping costs. ($3.50 international airmail) For up-to-date information on record stores and pubs selling the album, log on to www.scottmx.com (online February 1). Make checks payable to Triage Records. Our mailing address: 199 Prospect Place Fourth Floor Brooklyn, NY 11238 Call us at 718.857.4607 Outside the US copies can be ordered directly from the PFC at twelve pounds sterling incl. PP.

Return to Contents List.

German PFC Tour

A representative of the centre will take part in a number of public meetings throughout Baden Wuttenberg, Germany from February 21 -27. The meetings have been organised by a coalition of peace groups in the area and details are available on our website under German Language Items.

Return to Contents List.