WikiLeaks links murder of Northern Ireland civil rights lawyer to British Government

Leaked cables point to state collusion in murder Pat Finucane

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Murderer Northern Ireland civil rights lawyer Pat Finucane

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READ MORE- Finucane Son Fights for Justice

Leaked cables from the former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern to U.S. diplomats show evidence of government collusion, regarding the murder of the Northern Irish civil rights lawyer, Pat Finucane in 1989.

Finucane was shot dead in his home by two gunman from the loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Freedom Fighters. Over two decades on, his family are still attempting to find out exactly why he was targeted. They have repeatedly called for a full independent public enquiry.

Cables leaked last month show that Bertie Ahern told U.S. diplomats "everyone knows the UK was involved" in the murder and that U.S. diplomats were concerned that "elements of the security-legal establishments" in Britain were resisting an inquiry.

"Some Americans might decry Julian Assange as some kind of anarchist – someone who should be locked up for a thousand years," Pat’s son Michael, a Dublin-based solicitor, told the Guardian.

"But all WikiLeaks is doing is filling the vacuum created by governments unnecessarily." He added.

Michael believes the WikiLeaks adds more weight to the need for a public enquiry.

"Progress under the previous [New Labour] administration had stalled and the UK government was displaying a marked reluctance to ever want to reopen it," he said.

After qualifying from law-school, Pat Finucane set up his law firm with his co-partner Peter Madden in 1979. He was well known for his civil rights work and one of the first of a generation to take cases to Strasbourg. After his death his wife Geraldine said "Pat would have represented the people who shot him."

READ MORE- Finucane Son Fights for Justice

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