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MARCH 2003
ROSEMARY NELSON
The 15th of
March was the fourth anniversary of the horrendous car bombing that killed
Lurgan lawyer Rosemary Nelson. It
is a matter of very great regret that no-one has been charged with her murder,
although those responsible are widely known.
Among the suspects are a soldier serving at the time of the murder and a
self-confessed Special Branch informer. It
is a tragic irony that her case has now reached the stage of precisely the type
of injustice that Rosemary Nelson herself strove to remedy for her clients.
Unlike the death of Patrick Finucane, on whose behalf she campaigned for
a public inquiry, Rosemary Nelson’s death was foreseeable and avoidable, but
no-one in authority lifted a finger to help her, despite the concerns for her
safety expressed by the United Nations, the Irish government and the US
Congress. That is why a public inquiry is imperative in her case.
Former Canadian Supreme Court judge Peter Cory begins work on her case
soon. We sincerely hope that he
will recommend a public inquiry in her case so that her family can find some
justice and so that the lessons can be learned.
trip to the usa
I spent a week
this month in Washington and New York. My
grateful thanks to the Dunfey family for their kind invitation to the American
Ireland Fund’s gala dinner, which today took place on St Patrick’s Day, and
which raised $1 milion for good causes in Ireland. I also attended a reception at the South African Embassy and
an event there hosted by the Global Citizens Circle on the themes of justice,
reconciliation, and cause for hope throughout the world -
a timely reminder of human achievement at a time so overshadowed by war.
While in Washington I had a number of useful meetings on Capitol Hill and
with the State Department to discuss human rights concerns.
Many thanks to Raj Purohit and Fiona Doherty of the Lawyers Committee for
Human Rights for arranging my busy schedule. I also participated in screenings in both towns of BBC
journalist John Ware’s groundbreaking documentaries on the case of Patrick
Fincuane, which were well received by American audiences.
Finally, I briefed the New York City Bar Association on their forthcoming
mission to Northern Ireland.
FUNDING
FOR THE POLICE OMBUDSMAN
We have written to Paul Murphy, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, protesting at the government’s decision not to increase the budget of the Police Ombudsman, who handles complaints against the police. Her budget of £7.4 is only 1% of the PSNI’s overall budget of £710m, yet she makes a vital contribution to public confidence in policing, which itself feeds into confidence in the peace process. We hope that the government will reconsider this ill-advised decision.
Patrick
finucane
On 11th March
I met with members of the Stevens 3 police investigation team, who briefed us on
the progress they have made to date. I understand that the interim report that will be presented
to Chief Constable Hugh Orde next month will in fact cover many substantial
issues, and that as much of it as possible will be placed in the public domain.
SEAMUS LUDLOW
At long last the inquest
papers in the case of Seamus Ludlow, cruelly murdered near Dundalk in 1976, have
come to light. We believe that he
was murdered by loyalists, some of whom were serving soldiers, who came over the
border from Northern Ireland. The
inquest papers have thrown up new leads in the case, which is currently being
examined by Judge Henry Barron. Seamus Ludlow was a harmless man and an innocent victim who
we think may have made the mistake of accepting a lift from his murderers.
The older members of his family died without seeing any justice; we hope
that those who remain will not have to wait much longer.
helping
out at the institute
On 27th March
I spent the morning adjudicating on oral presentations made by some of this
years’ students on the Master’s course in Understanding Human Rights at the
Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Their
talks covered a wide range of topics, from democracy in Angola to the rights of
indigenous women in Mexico –
I learned a lot.
Jane Winter,
Director,
31st March 2003.
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
