NOVANEWS
12 years ago today, 15th March 1999,Human Rights Solicitor, Rosemary Nelson, mother of three children, was murdered by a car bomb in Lurgan, north of Ireland. The ‘Red Hand Defenders’, a loyalist paramilitary group claimed it. She was highly respected and represented a number of high profile cases. She became a hate figure to the RUC Special Branch and repeatedly complained of death threats by police officers which she reported to the United Nations. Judge Cory’s Inquiry (April 2004) recommended a Public Inquiry to investigate possible collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and British security services. The Secretary of State for NI immediately announced there would be a full public inquiry, but the public sessions did not begin until April 2008. We still have not had the report of the Inquiry – see article below.
It is important that the people of Britain know what has been done in their name
Legal Review of Rosemary Nelson Inquiry Findings
TOM News 14/03/11
Final legal checks are being carried out on the findings of a public inquiry into the murder of Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson, the British government has said. The inquiry team had already said it hoped to have its long-awaited report into the allegations of British security force collusion in the murder completed by the end of April.
Britain’s secretary in the six counties, Owen Paterson, said his government’s lawyers are beginning their review of the inquiry’s report to ensure its contents do not endanger any individual or compromise ‘national security’.
Mrs Nelson, a 40-year-old mother-of-three, died after a bomb planted by the loyalist Red Hand Defenders exploded under her car as she left her home in Lurgan, County Armagh, on March 15th, 1999.
The lawyer represented a number of high-profile republicans, as well as acting for a Catholic residents’ group which opposed Orange Order marches in the Drumcree parade stand-off. She rose to public prominence when human rights groups raised concerns for her safety after revelations that she was being intimidated by British security force members and loyalists.
Written Ministerial Statement:
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Owen Paterson): “In anticipation of the publication of the report of the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry, I have today asked a team of officials to commence the checking of the Inquiry’s report in relation to human rights and national security matters, as outlined below. I intend to adopt the same approach as was used for the checking of the report of the Bloody Sunday, Billy Wright and Robert Hamill Inquiry reports.
As I informed the House in my Written Statement of 16 December 2010, the Nelson Inquiry intends to complete its report by the end of April 2011. I am responsible for publication of the Inquiry’s report, once it is delivered to me. I am advised that I have a duty, as a public authority under the Human Rights Act, to act in a way that is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). To fulfil this duty, I need to take steps to satisfy myself that publication of the report will not breach Article 2 of the Convention by putting the lives or safety of individuals at risk. I am advised that these obligations must be met by me personally, in my capacity as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Although the Inquiry is also a public authority under the Human Rights Act, I am not entitled to rely on the Inquiry to satisfy my Article 2 obligations and I have a duty to assess this myself. I also have a duty to satisfy myself that publication will not put national security at risk, for example by disclosing details of sources of protected information.
I have established a small team to assist me in carrying out this necessary exercise. The team will comprise the Northern Ireland Office’s principal legal adviser, two officials from the Ministry of Defence, one official from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and one official and one legal adviser from the Security Service, who are familiar with the sensitive material provided to the Inquiry Panel. This team will be granted access to the report under strict terms of confidentiality and for the sole purpose of carrying out the necessary checks, and they will report directly to me alone. Neither I nor any official beyond the members of the checking team will have access to the report until 24 hours before it is published. Sir Michael Morland has agreed that this team can carry out the checks on the Inquiry’s premises while the report remains in the custody of the Inquiry. I understand that the report will be made available for checking today.
I want to publish the report in its entirety. Should any concerns about the safety of any individual arise, my first course of action would be to consider whether these can be addressed through alternative means. Were I to reach the conclusion, on advice, that a redaction to the text might be necessary, I would consult Sir Michael Morland. In the very unlikely event that any redaction was deemed necessary, my intention would be to make this clear on the face of the report.
The report must be published first for this House, and I intend to publish the report as soon as possible once the report and the checking process has been completed. However, I acknowledge the importance of this Inquiry’s findings in the lives of a number of individuals. As with the publication of the Bloody Sunday and Billy Wright Inquiry reports, I intend to consider giving advance sight to those who were designated as Represented Parties by the Inquiry. I intend to discuss this with the Speaker of the House in due course.” END
What we can do to support the Nelson family
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Write to David Cameron, Owen Paterson and your own MP demanding the Inquiry Report be published immediately – and encourage others to do the same. We mustn’t let the government delay publication in the way they did with the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday. The Nelson Family need and deserve answers
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Raise the case in your Trade Union, Political Party or Community Group.
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Write to newspapers and get on radio ‘phone-ins. See TOM website for more details.
