Obama Backs Finucane Inquiry Call

The US presidential candidate has entered the minefield of NI politics.

Barack Obama has backed calls for an inquiry into the murder of Northern Ireland solicitor Pat Finucane, campaigners said last night.

The UK Government has faced widespread criticism for its attempts to examine the case under newly introduced public inquiry legislation that critics say would allow ministers to intervene to obstruct the search for the truth.

Two Irish-American lobby groups said they had secured the Senator's support for the campaign to compel the British Government to allow a full 'independent', international probe into the killing.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family by loyalist paramilitaries in 1989, but the security forces have repeatedly been implicated in the killing of the solicitor, who had represented republican suspects.

This kind of independent inquiry was initially recommended in a report compiled for the British Government by Canadian Judge Peter Cory.

The Belfast Telegraph has reported that the murdered solicitor's son, Michael Finucane is pleased: "We are extremely grateful to Senator Obama for lending us his support," he said

"As Senator Obama points out, this was a recommendation of Judge Cory as a way to look at all the very serious circumstances arising out of the death of Pat Finucane."

Michael Finucane said the 20th anniversary of his father's death was to be marked next year and added that the campaign to uncover the truth of what happened would continue.

An earlier judgement by the European Court of Human Rights that the police investigation into his murder was "not effective" originally highlighted the family's claims.

Five years ago it criticised the RUC's handling of the case stating that the British Government had "failed to provide a prompt and effective investigation into the allegations of collusion by security personnel".

Michael Finucane said at the time that "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," he claimed, controversially.

See: Finucane family welcomes European Court ruling

(BMcC)