ECHR finds against the UK government - Pat Finucane's rights under Article 2 violated

The family of Patrick Finucane welcome the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights today in Strasbourg. This is the first judicial determination on the murder of Patrick Finucane that has taken place so far. The Court has had the benefit of all relevant material on this case since it was submitted in 1995, including the recent report prepared by Sir John Stevens, Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police and its ruling affirms once again the importance of this case and the international concern that persists in relation to it. The claims by the family of Pat Finucane and many others worldwide that the RUC and British Army colluded in his murder have now been judged so serious that the UK Government violated Article 2 of the Convention in not responding to them adequately or at all. The European Court was persuaded that the actions of the British State “failed to provide a prompt and effective investigation into the allegations of collusion by security personnel.” The obvious conclusion that must be drawn from this is that the State could not and would not investigate itself in this matter because the accusations it faced were absolutely true. The British Government must now address the matter in a forthright manner that properly addresses the violations of Article 2 of the Convention and remedies those violations without further delay. Speaking on behalf of the Finucane family, Michael Finucane, son of the murdered solicitor and also a practising lawyer, said: “My family have never been afraid to put our case forward to be tested. Now, we have a judgment from the highest court in Europe that his right to life was violated. The UK have been found wanting because they did not properly protect his life nor investigate his death. It is easy to see why they didn’t want to investigate this murder: they were the instigators and facilitators of it.” “The responsibility for this matter now rests squarely with the British Government and how they will meet their obligations under the European Convention. It remains to be seen whether they will take their convention obligations seriously now that, once again, they have been measured and found wanting. The only way that the British Government can hope to reclaim any part of its shattered reputation is by establishing a full, independent judicial public inquiry without any further delay.” NOTES FOR EDITORS: Michael Finucane is practising solicitor based in Dublin. He is the eldest son of Pat Finucane. Contact tel: (00-353) (0)87 2247898