Press Releases

Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal, Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus, released the following statement after the British government announced that it will be launching a public inquiry into the 1989 murder of Solicitor Pat Finucane.

“On February 12, 1989, loyalist gunmen with links to British security forces broke into the Belfast home of Pat Finucane with a sledgehammer. Upon entering, they fired fourteen shots at the highly regarded human rights solicitor at point-blank range in front of his wife and children, killing the lawyer who was known to represent both Catholics and Protestants at the height of the conflict in the north of Ireland. He was just 39 years old on the day of his murder. His violent death, with proven levels of state collusion, has long been regarded as one of the most controversial and shocking events of the Troubles. Repeated calls from his family over decades for a full, open, and transparent public inquiry into his brutal assassination have long been thwarted by the British government. But there now may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

“This afternoon, British Secretary of State Hilary Benn addressed the House of Commons and informed them he was calling for the long sought-after public inquiry. Years after public apologies, acknowledgment of state collusion, and concealment of evidence and identities of known informers with direct knowledge of the case, the Finucanes may finally see their day in court. Like many longtime supporters of the family’s tireless pursuit of truth and justice, I welcome today’s announcement, while anxiously awaiting more details from the British government on how they intend to proceed with this case going forward. The words today from the Secretary of State were long overdue, but people on both sides of the Atlantic are now waiting to see what’s actually delivered.

“As Co-Chairman of the bipartisan Friends of Ireland Caucus in the United States Congress, I have been a steadfast supporter of the Finucane family for more than three decades. I am hopeful that today’s announcement begins a process of long overdue vindication as it did for the Bloody Sunday families, the Guildford Four, and the Birmingham Six, who were all wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit, or worse. In 2002, British Prime Minister David Cameron issued a formal state apology to the Bloody Sunday families for the “unjustified and unjustifiable” killing of fourteen innocent civil rights marchers by British soldiers a half-century ago in their hometown of Derry. As someone who was deeply involved in each of these landmark cases, it is my strong belief that the Finucane family deserves the same sense of forgiveness, exoneration, and vindication from the British government.

“Rest assured, I will continue to be a strong advocate for one of the most admirable, dignified, and determined families I have known during my over four-decade effort to bring peace and justice to the island of Ireland. In my opinion, the Finucanes are entitled to know the truth about who was responsible for what happened in their home that night in 1989 when they lost a young husband and father.”

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