At a congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) today, the widow and three adult children of renowned Northern Ireland human rights attorney Patrick Finucane shared their expectations for the recently established, long-overdue independent inquiry into British collusion in Patrick’s murder on February 12, 1989—when he was gunned down in his Belfast home in front of his wife and children.

            “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, Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC), who has chaired 21 congressional sessions on justice issues in Northern Ireland, including 11 hearings featuring testimony from a member of the Finucane family.

            Smith’s hearing—entitled “Northern Ireland: The Pending British Inquiry into Collusion in the Murder of Patrick Finucane”—came in response to the announcement by U.K. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn in September that an independent inquiry would be established into Patrick’s murder. The development followed decades of refusal by the British government to heed widespread public calls for an inquiry into the role its security services played in several murders committed by loyalist paramilitaries.

            The TLHRC hearing marked the first occasion where all members of Finucane family, including Patrick’s widow Geraldine and his three adult children—Katherine, John, and Michael—jointly offered testimony as a panel before the U.S. Congress.

            “After 35 years of cover-ups, it is time for truth,” said Geraldine Finucane. “If an inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane can finally examine publicly all of the collusion that plagued our society for so many years, there is hope that the real process of healing can begin.”

            “Having been told for so long to move on and draw a line under the past, the recent announcement of an inquiry has provided us with much hope that we will finally get the full picture of what happened and get the answers as to why my Father was murdered,” said Katherine Finucane. “We can only move into the future when we have a clear sense of the past.”

            “What we want is what we have always asked for, and that is something which is fully independent and transparent, and capable of finding out all of the details as to what happened and ensuring recommendations are made to ensure a policy of murdering your own citizens is never allowed to happen again,” said John Finucane.

            “This is perhaps one of the greatest ironies of the life and work of Pat Finucane. The efforts and innovations of his lifetime would be the very thing that ensured the circumstances behind his murder would not remain hidden,” said Michael Finucane. “What happened to him has been described as, ‘life lost for the law’. I think it is more apt to say, ‘a life given for truth’. It is a high price, indeed.”

            Smith noted that the U.S. Congress has long supported the Finucanes in their quest for justice, including two resolutions authored by Smith that were passed by the House of Representatives urging the British government to establish a full, independent, and public judicial inquiry into Patrick Finucane’s murder.

            In 2007, the House, and then the Senate, passed Smith’s legislation (H. Con. Res. 20) calling the British government to deliver on their commitment to implement a public, independent, judicial inquiry into his murder. In 2006, the House passed Smith’s resolution (H. Res. 740) that specifically called for the establishment of the public inquiry. 

            The U.S. Congress also passed, and the president signed, Smith’s legislation that restricted U.S. training and exchanges with the former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and to specifically exclude those RUC officials who may have any role in the murder of Patrick Finucane or Rosemary Nelson (PL 106-133).  

            “Geraldine Finucane and her children—now grown, successful adults—have left no stone unturned in their skillful, tireless, legal pursuit,” Smith said. “The Finucane family’s 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 and a family committed to the rule of law.”

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