Rosemary Nelson Dublin campaign launch
BY SEAN BRADY
``If you do not have protection for human rights defenders you do not
have human rights'', so said lawyer Dr Robbie McVeigh at the Dublin
launch of the Rosemary Nelson Campaign on Wednesday, 5 May.
A huge sense of grief and loss followed the murder of Rosemary Nelson
on 15 March and there was a recognition by her family and friends
that work had to be done, sensitively and properly, to get to the
circumstances behind her death. The result was the Rosemary Nelson
Campaign initially made up of the Lurgan solicitor's family and
friends, aswell as lawyers and human rights activists.
The objectives of the campaign are truth and justice for Rosemary
Nelson, the means- an independent investigation into the
circumstances of her murder followed by an independent, international
judicial inquiry.
The Dublin campaign launch was chaired by the murdered solicitor's
husband Paul Nelson. Robbie McVeigh said that the issue of human
rights lay at the core of the Good Friday Agreement. Rosemary Nelson
had testified in the US Cogress and at the United Nations regarding
harassment and death threats from the RUC and it was therefore
entirely inappropriate for the RUC to be involved in the
investigation.
The campaign has been gaining widespread national and international
support, particularly at a political level in the United States
Congress, the European Union Parliament and the United Nations.
Pointing out that a bad inquiry was worse than none, as in the case
of Bloody Sunday, Robbie McVeigh drew attention to the statement by
Colin Port, who is involved with the official British investigation,
that the collusion aspects of the investigation sat completely with
the RUC. Port had also raised questions as to whether it was
necessary for collusion to occur for the murder to happen. ``The
question shoul properly be- Did it occur?'', McVeigh said.
Asked about Bertie Ahern's stated position that according to the
advice he received the RUC has to be involve, McVeigh agreed that it
sounded as if he was listening to advice from the British government.
Some people did not actually think that an independent, international
inqury was possible but Colin Port himself had already been involved
in such inquiries in Bosnia and Rwanda. the argument that there had
to be RUC operational involvement did not stand up. The current
Stevens inquiry has no RUC involvement.
Since the murder there has been a huge groundswell of support and
sympathy for Rosemary Nelson in the 26 Counties, particularly in
Dublin and it was important McVeigh said that pressure was brought to
bear in terms of political support. A petition was being raised and
the campaign intend to distribute postcard which people can forward
to Bertie Ahern and the British Premier.
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