Posthumous US award for Rosemary Nelson
by Laura Friel
A posthumous award is to be presented for human rights lawyer
Rosemary Nelson. The murder of the Lurgan solicitor, who died in a
car bomb attack on March 15, continues to attract widespread
international condemnation.The award is to be presented at New
Jersey's Seeton Hall during a ceremony at the end of the month. It
will be collected by Rosemary's husband Paul Nelson. This is the
second posthumous award presented to the Nelson family since
Rosemary's death. It comes at a time of growing international support
for an independent international investigation into the killing.
Since the launch of the Rosemary Nelson Campaign in Belfast three
weeks ago, delegates from the group set themselves a punishing
schedule. There was no let up in the pace this week with the official
launching of the campaign in Dublin. Last week the group returned
from a successful trip to America where spokesperson Robbie McVeigh
addressed a Congressional hearing considering the future of policing
in the Six Counties.
Next week, the focus of the campaign will shift back to Belfast,
where an emergency general meeting of the Law Society will decide
whether or not to back the call for an independent inquiry into the
Nelson murder. A negative response would leave the society with the
rather dubious distinction of being the only Law Society within the
island of Ireland, and probably throughout the world, refusing to
support the campaign's objectives.
The dynamic of the Rosemary Nelson campaign stands in sharp contrast
to the continuing footdragging response of the British authorities.
The British government's response to the report by United Nations
Special Rapporteur, Param Cumaraswamy spawned a wave of nationalist
criticism which dubbed the Britain's response as arrogant,
unacceptable and inadequate.
A senior source within the Dublin government described the decision
to appoint John Stevens to head a `probe' into the killing of Pat
Finucane as causing ``considerable irritation.'' John Stevens is the
British police chief who conducted an inquiry into crown force
collusion with loyalist death squads in the early 1990's. The full
report of the inquiry was never published and allegations of
collusion have continued to the present day. The source described the
appointment as ``unhelpful and clearly an attempt to frustrate a
public and fully independent inquiry.''
Further controversy followed an admission by John Stevens who
contradicted official accounts of his handling of the Pat Finucane
murder case. Responding to international calls for a public inquiry
into the Finucane murder the British government claimed that the
matter had already been investigated by Stevens.
Last week Stevens insisted that this was not the case. At ``no time''
said Stevens had he ever investigated the Finucane killing. As
recently as April 16 this year, British government spokesperson Doug
Henderson MP told London's House of Commons, ``the murder of Pat
Finucane was investigated by both the RUC and subsequently by the
investigation team led by John Stevens.''
Meanwhile the FBI has pulled out from the investigation into Rosemary
Nelson's death. The four strong team led by Special Agent John Guido
returned to America as rumours that the RUC were about to arrest two
loyalist associates of Francie Curry began to circulate. Curry was
released after serving a jail sentence for driving while disqualified
on the day of Rosemary's murder. He was shot dead two days after he
was released.
Identifying the already dead Frankie Curry as their prime suspect is
suspiciously convenient for the RUC, a point not entirely lost to the
media, creating ``a firewall which could prove impenetrable for any
further outside investigators''. Less conveniently Frankie Curry has
already been exposed as an agent for the RUC Special Branch. It is
believed that the RUC will refuse to make available intelligence
reports and computer files relating to Curry's contacts with RUC
handlers on security grounds.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)