Fordham Calls For Finucane Inquiry

Human Rights First joined the family of Northern Ireland civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane on the 25th anniversary of his murder to discuss the campaign for a public inquiry into his killing.The roundtable discussion took place at the James McNally Amphitheater at Fordham Law School in New York on February 12. Brian Dooley, Director, Human Rights Defenders Program at Human Rights First, served as moderator.
Finucane was a prominent human rights lawyer in Belfast when he was shot in front of his family at his home on February 12, 1989. Less than a month before, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Office Douglas Hogg stated during a debate in the London House of Commons on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill: “I have to state as a fact, but with great regret, that there are in Northern Ireland a number of solicitors who are unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA…” which many observers saw as an invitation for lawless elements to strike against criminal defense lawyers.
Twenty-five years later, Finucane’s family continues to campaign for a public inquiry into the circumstances of his death, including possible police collusion.