Brits Forced to Apologize

Son of the late Pat Finucane and Sinn Fein MP for North Belfast John Finucane

BRITISH GOVT FORCED TO APOLOGIZE AGAIN FOR DELAYS IN FINUCANE CASE BUT REFUSE TO COMMIT TO A FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY - Pat Finucane was a human rights lawyer who was killed in front of his young family by a pro-British death squad in 1989. Those directly involved in his murder were working for British Military Intelligence. Since then his family have campaigned for the British Government to come clean about their involvement in the commissioning, collusion and cover-up in relation to killing. The British Government has refused to honor a commitment to a full public inquiry in the case.

Today after the British Government were forced in court to apologize for the delay in dealing with the case and set a date of the 30th November to commit to their next steps. Speaking today, Pat’ son and Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said: “Since the killing of my father, my family have tirelessly campaigned for an independent public inquiry to establish the truth about what happened.

“Throughout these last 31 years, the British Government has continuously erected barriers and unlawfully stalled the process in an attempt to bury the truth and deter our family. “The UK Supreme Court ruled in February 2019 that the investigation into the killing has not been ‘effective’, and that there are clear outstanding issues that remain must be addressed. “Approaching two years on, the British Government has failed to take account of this ruling and has not taken any actions to redress the outstanding issues. This inactivity amounts to nothing less than a damning indictment on its commitment to truth and justice.

"It again showed a continuing pattern within this British Government to wilfully and deliberately breach both international and domestic law. "The British Secretary of State Brandon Lewis has apologized for this delay and confirmed that a decision will be made before or on the 30th of November on whether a public inquiry is established.

"We need actions from the British Government, not hollow apologies. “An independent public inquiry is the only mechanism to establish the truth and this must be established urgently.

"We have been denied the truth for 31 years; the truth must not be denied a day longer."