III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 493 

Calling on the Government of the United Kingdom to establish immediately 

a full, independent, public judicial inquiry into the murder of Northern 

Ireland defense attorney Pat Finucane, as recommended by international 

Judge Peter Cory as part of the Weston Park agreement and a way 

forward for the Northern Ireland Peace Process. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2006 

Mr. DEWINE (for himself and Mr. DODD) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the Government of the United Kingdom to establish immediately a full, independent, public judicial inquiry into the murder of Northern Ireland defense attorney Pat Finucane, as recommended by international 

Judge Peter Cory as part of the Weston Park agreement 

and a way forward for the Northern Ireland Peace Process. 

Whereas human rights defense attorney and solicitor Patrick 

Finucane was brutally murdered in front of his wife and 

children at his home in Belfast on February 12, 1989; 

Whereas numerous international bodies and nongovernmental 

human rights organizations have made note of serious alVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:37 May 25, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR493.IS SR493

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•SRES 493 IS

legations of collusion between loyalist paramilitaries and 

British security forces in the murder of Mr. Finucane; 

Whereas, in July 2001, the Irish and British Governments 

made new commitments in the Weston Park Agreement 

to hold public inquiries into high profile murders if the 

Honorable Judge Peter Cory recommended such action, 

and both governments understood that such an inquiry 

would be held under the United Kingdom Tribunals of 

Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921; 

Whereas Judge Cory found sufficient evidence of collusion to 

warrant a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick 

Finucane and recommended that such an inquiry take 

place without delay; 

Whereas, in his conclusions, Judge Cory set out the necessity 

and importance of a public inquiry into the Finucane 

case and that the failure to hold a public inquiry as soon 

as reasonably possible could be seen as a denial of the 

agreement at Weston Park; 

Whereas, on May 6, 2004, Judge Cory testified in Congress 

before the United States Helsinki Commission and presented his report, which is replete with evidence of possible collusion relating to activities of the army intelligence unit and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in 

the Finucane case; 

Whereas the United Kingdom adopted new legislation after 

the public release of the Cory Report, the United Kingdom Inquiries Act of 2005, which severely limits the procedures of an independent inquiry and which has been rejected as inadequate by Judge Cory, the Finucane family, 

the Irish Government, and human rights groups; 


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Whereas, on March 15, 2005, Judge Cory submitted written 

testimony to the Committee on International Relations of 

the United States House of Representatives stating that 

the new legislation is ‘‘unfortunate to say the least’’ and 

‘‘would make a meaningful inquiry impossible’’; 

Whereas the written statement of Judge Cory also stated 

that his recommendation for a public inquiry into the 

Finucane case ‘‘contemplated a true public inquiry constituted and acting pursuant to the provisions of the 

1921 Act’’ and not the United Kingdom Inquiries Act of 

2005; 

Whereas section 701 of the Foreign Relations Authorization 

Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107–228) and House 

Resolution 128, 106th Congress, agreed to April 20, 

1999, support the establishment of an independent, judicial inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane; and 

Whereas the Senate expresses deep regret with respect to the 

British Government’s failure to honor its commitment to 

implement recommendation of Judge Cory in full: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends the Finucane family, wife Geral3 dine and son Michael, who have testified 5 times be4 fore the United States Congress (Geraldine in 2000, 

5 2004, and 2005 and Michael in 1997 and 1999), for 

6 their courageous campaign to seek the truth in this 

7 case of collusion; 

8 (2) welcomes the passage of a resolution by the 

9 Dail Eireann on March 8, 2006, calling for the esVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:26 May 26, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR493.IS SR493

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1 tablishment of a full, independent, public judicial in2 quiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane as the 

3 most recent expression of support for the Finucane 

4 family by the Government of Ireland; 

5 (3) acknowledges the United States Helsinki 

6 Commission charged with human rights monitoring 

7 for their work in highlighting this case; 

8 (4) supports the efforts of the Honorable 

9 Mitchell Reiss, special envoy of President Bush for 

10 the Northern Ireland Peace Process, in pushing for 

11 the full implementation of the Weston Park Agree12 ment and the establishment of an independent, judi13 cial inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane; 

14 and 

15 (5) calls on the Government of the United 

16 Kingdom— 

17 (A) to reconsider its position on the 

18 Finucane case to take full account of the objec19 tions of the family of Patrick Finucane, Judge 

20 Cory, officials of the United States Govern21 ment, other governments, and international 

22 bodies, and amend the United Kingdom Inquir23 ies Act of 2005; and 

24 (B) to establish immediately a full, inde25 pendent, public judicial inquiry into the murder 


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1 of Patrick Finucane, as recommended by Judge 

2 Cory, which would enjoy the full cooperation of 

3 the family of Patrick Finucane and the wider 

4 community throughout Ireland and abroad. 

Æ 


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