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Finucanes demand meeting with Blair over inquiry
The family of murdered North Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has demanded a meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair over the stalling of the recommended public inquiry into his murder, the North Belfast News can reveal.
John Finucane revealed that a letter had been sent from the family over concerns by the family and the broad body of world human rights organisations over the stalling of the inquiry.
In April, retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory, recommended a full judicial inquiry into Pat Finucane’s murder by the UDA in 1989. There were delays in the British government publishing the report and the Finucane family have become increasingly concerned over what they say are the British government’s stalling tactics in carrying out Cory’s recommendations.
There have also been concerns raised over a watered down inquiry with limited scope.
“My family have recently asked for a meeting with Tony Blair so we can confront him personally as to our concerns and fears over more British delay,” he told an audience at the Landsdowne Hotel.
“We will go wherever we need to in order to fight for the truth.
“We will not stop until we achieve our goal, but we hope that one day, we will be able to stop because that will mean we achieved what we set out to achieve.”
John Finucane said the British state had pursued “an evil policy of collusion”.
Pat Finucane’s son was speaking at a special event held on collusion as part of the New Lodge Festival.
Former Belfast Mayor Alex Maskey also gave his personal account of the attack on his home in 1993 when North Belfast man Alan Lundy was shot dead.
“I can think of no other area that has been exposed to the murderous policy that is collusion more brutally than North Belfast,” John Finucane said.
“Over the years hundreds of people have lost their lives to British force, either directly or through proxy agents and killers in the loyalist gangs that have operated under their control. We want to know why so many people were allowed to die. Why collusion was a policy for so long, and to hold those accountable who introduced, maintained and covered up the intelligence networks.
“We simply ask for justice,” said Mr Finucane.
“The campaign that my family and I have engaged in is for the truth to emerge, for the British government to be held accountable.
“The only way this can be achieved is through a public, international judicial tribunal of inquiry that will fully examine all the evidence in my father’s case.
“Pat Finucane deserves no less than that, as do all of those murdered, wounded and bereaved by the state through its evil policy of collusion,” added Mr Finucane.
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
Finucanes demand meeting with Blair over inquiry
The family of murdered North Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has demanded a meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair over the stalling of the recommended public inquiry into his murder, the North Belfast News can reveal.
John Finucane revealed that a letter had been sent from the family over concerns by the family and the broad body of world human rights organisations over the stalling of the inquiry.
In April, retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory, recommended a full judicial inquiry into Pat Finucane’s murder by the UDA in 1989. There were delays in the British government publishing the report and the Finucane family have become increasingly concerned over what they say are the British government’s stalling tactics in carrying out Cory’s recommendations.
There have also been concerns raised over a watered down inquiry with limited scope.
“My family have recently asked for a meeting with Tony Blair so we can confront him personally as to our concerns and fears over more British delay,” he told an audience at the Landsdowne Hotel.
“We will go wherever we need to in order to fight for the truth.
“We will not stop until we achieve our goal, but we hope that one day, we will be able to stop because that will mean we achieved what we set out to achieve.”
John Finucane said the British state had pursued “an evil policy of collusion”.
Pat Finucane’s son was speaking at a special event held on collusion as part of the New Lodge Festival.
Former Belfast Mayor Alex Maskey also gave his personal account of the attack on his home in 1993 when North Belfast man Alan Lundy was shot dead.
“I can think of no other area that has been exposed to the murderous policy that is collusion more brutally than North Belfast,” John Finucane said.
“Over the years hundreds of people have lost their lives to British force, either directly or through proxy agents and killers in the loyalist gangs that have operated under their control. We want to know why so many people were allowed to die. Why collusion was a policy for so long, and to hold those accountable who introduced, maintained and covered up the intelligence networks.
“We simply ask for justice,” said Mr Finucane.
“The campaign that my family and I have engaged in is for the truth to emerge, for the British government to be held accountable.
“The only way this can be achieved is through a public, international judicial tribunal of inquiry that will fully examine all the evidence in my father’s case.
“Pat Finucane deserves no less than that, as do all of those murdered, wounded and bereaved by the state through its evil policy of collusion,” added Mr Finucane.
Journalist:: Staff Reporter
