U.S. lawmakers called on the U.K. to establish an independent inquiry into the 1989 murder of human rights lawyer Patrick Finucane, in a letter sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“The British government’s deliberate decision not to proceed with an independent, judicial inquiry into the Finucane murder — an unfulfilled commitment of the peace process — is a public breach of faith,” said Republican Congressman Chris Smith in a statement that accompanied the letter, signed by 24 bipartisan members of Congress.
Finucane, a Catholic solicitor, was murdered during the Troubles, the three decades of violence that left more than 3,500 dead. Finucane’s clients included suspected Irish Republican Army members, and there have long been allegations that some in the U.K. security forces colluded in the killing.
According to recent reports, Britain’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis is due to make a decision on whether to launch an inquiry into Finucane’s murder by the end of the month.
The letter states: “U.S. legislation urging your government to recognize the overwhelming public interest in a ‘true,’ independent, judicial inquiry has been enacted and/or passed the House of Representatives on four separate occasions … Several years after former Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged ‘shocking levels of collusion’ — and issued an apology to the Finucane family — we remain astounded that the British government has refused to live up to its responsibility, and is violating its commitments to establish the inquiry.”
Democratic Representative Richard Neal, another of the signatories of the letter, said in a statement: “I continue to believe the Finucane family has a right to truth and justice … They deserve to know what happened in February of 1989 and the level of state collusion into the murder of their husband and father. This letter is calling on the British government to be accountable.”
The letter comes amid mounting pressure for an inquiry. Wednesday, Amnesty International U.K. wrote to Lewis to ask him to open an independent investigation. Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, said on Tuesday that the British government “should and must” conduct a public inquiry.