Press Release
Historic Capitol Hill hearing scheduled for Tues, Nov 19 at 11am ET Widow, children of Northern Ireland human rights attorney Patrick Finucane to testify on the long-overdue public inquiry into his brutal murderGeraldine Finucane, the widow of the renowned Northern Ireland human rights attorney Patrick Finucane, and her three adult children are set to testify next week at a Capitol Hill hearing chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on the recent establishment of a long-overdue independent inquiry into Patrick’s brutal murder in 1989.
Patrick Finucane was gunned down in his Belfast home in front of his wife and children on February 12, 1989. While numerous non-governmental human rights organizations have connected loyalist paramilitaries and British Security forces to his horrific murder, the British government has long refused calls for an independent judicial inquiry into the role its security services played in several murders committed by loyalist paramilitaries. “For 35 years, the Finucane family has steadfastly and honorably pursued an independent public inquiry into the state-sponsored collusion and brutal murder which took the life of leading human rights attorney Pat Finucane, husband and father of three children,” said Smith, the Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, who authored two congressional resolutions agreed to by the U.S. House of Representatives that advocated for an independent judicial inquiry. “Geraldine Finucane and her children—now grown, successful adults—have left no stone unturned in their skillful, tireless, legal pursuit,” said Smith. “Their admirable and unyielding dedication to truth and justice—in the face of tremendous government and paramilitary opposition—righty reflects the work and legacy of Pat Finucane and a family committed to the rule of law.” ### |