The Irish Government and the family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane have welcomed a decision by the Council of Europe, calling on the British government to fulfil its human rights obligations in relation to the 1989 killing.
The Council has also expressed concern about the British Government's proposals to deal with the legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Victims and survivors have had to wait for far too long for a suitable and effective system in Northern Ireland to deal with the legacy of the Troubles.
We therefore believe it is necessary and appropriate that the Committee of Ministers should put on record its deep concern about the lack of progress in putting in place the urgently needed mechanism for conducting Article-2 compliant investigations in over 1,000 outstanding cases in Northern Ireland.
Turning to the case of the late Pat Finucane, Ireland continues to support the reopening of individual measures in the Finucane case.
Geraldine Finucane said:
I am very pleased that the Committee of Ministers has made a firm request of the UK Govt for concrete proposals in the case of my late husband.
It is disappointing that the UK Govt must be compelled in this way, given the ruling of the UK Supreme Court in February 2019 that past investigations into the murder were legally deficient.
A full investigation into the murder of Pat Finucane has still not been carried out. The UK Govt has simply adopted a continuing policy of delay and obfuscation. It would appear the Committee of Ministers has now run out of patience and, like me, is demanding clear answers.
A description of the case is available via the Council of Europe website, as is the text of the decision by its Committee of Ministers.
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