H. Res. 128
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
April 20, 1999.
Whereas on September 29, 1998, Rosemary Nelson, a promi-
nent defense attorney in Northern Ireland, who testified
before the Subcommittee on International Operations and
Human Rights of the Committee on International Rela-
tions of the House of Representatives, stated that she
had been harassed and intimidated by the Northern Ire-
land police force, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
in her capacity as a defense attorney, and that she had
been ‘‘physically assaulted by a number of RUC officers’’
and that the difficulties with the RUC included ‘‘at their
most serious, making threats against my personal safety
including death threats’’;
Whereas Param Cumarswamy, the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers,
also testified before the Subcommittee on International
Operations and Human Rights citing the grave dangers
faced by defense attorneys in Northern Ireland and stat-
ed that ‘‘there have been harassment and intimidation of
defense lawyers by RUC officers’’ and that ‘‘these harass-
ments and intimidation were consistent and systematic’’;
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur rec-
ommended that authorities other than the RUC conduct
‘‘an independent and impartial investigation of all threats
•HRES 128 EH
to legal counsel in Northern Ireland’’ and ‘‘where there
is a threat to physical integrity of a solicitor’’ the ‘‘Gov-
ernment should provide necessary protection’’;
Whereas Northern Ireland’s Independent Commission for Po-
lice Complaints (ICPC) reported ‘‘serious concerns’’
about the RUC’s handling of the inquiry into the death
threats Rosemary Nelson received and described the RUC
officers investigating the death threats as ‘‘hostile, eva-
sive and disinterested’’ and also noted an ‘‘ill-disguised
hostility to Mrs. Nelson on the part of some police offi-
cers’’;
Whereas the government, which provided protection for
Northern Ireland judges after paramilitary violence re-
sulted in the death of four judges and some family mem-
bers, should also provide appropriate protection for de-
fense attorneys;
Whereas despite the threats and the intimidation, Rosemary
Nelson courageously continued to represent the rights of
Catholic clients in high profile cases, including the resi-
dents of Garvaghy road in their bid to stop controversial
marches in their neighborhood and the family of Robert
Hamill who was beaten to death by a sectarian mob in
1997;
Whereas, because of her human rights work, Northern Ire-
land solicitor Rosemary Nelson, the mother of three
young children, suffered the ultimate harassment and in-
timidation and was brutally murdered on March 15th,
1999, by a bomb placed on her car;
Whereas all those involved in the targeting and killing of de-
fense attorney Rosemary Nelson, including the Red Hand
Defenders, a militant loyalist paramilitary group that is
•HRES 128 EH
opposed to the peace process and that has claimed re-
sponsibility for the murder, must be brought to justice;
Whereas the success of the peace process is predicated on the
ability of the people of Northern Ireland to believe that
injustices such as the murder of Rosemary Nelson will be
investigated thoroughly, fairly, and transparently;
Whereas the murder of Rosemary Nelson is reminiscent of
the 1989 murder of human rights attorney Patrick
Finucane, who, according to the United Nations report,
had also received numerous death threats from RUC offi-
cers;
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur reported
that since the Patrick Finucane murder, further informa-
tion that seriously calls into question whether there was
official collusion has come to light; and
Whereas Rosemary Nelson’s stated fear of the RUC, the re-
cent release of Northern Ireland’s Independent Commis-
sion for Police Complaints (ICPC) report, and the United
Nations report, all necessitate the establishment of an
independent inquiry into Rosemary Nelson’s murder in
order to foster confidence and credibility in this investiga-
tion as well as the peace process: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) recognizes the historic significance of the 1998
Good Friday Peace Accords and commends the people of
Northern Ireland for their commitment to work together
in peace;
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(2) condemns all violence committed in violation of
the Northern Ireland cease-fire agreement, an agreement
that has been largely successful; and
(3) calls on the Government of the United
Kingdom—
(A) to launch an independent public inquiry for
the investigation of the murder of defense attorney
Rosemary Nelson so that evidence gathering, wit-
ness interviews, and the issuance of a detailed, pub-
lic report can be based on the work of law enforce-
ment experts not connected to or reliant upon the
efforts of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC);
(B) to institute an independent judicial inquiry
into allegations that defense attorneys are system-
atically harassed and intimidated by security forces;
and
(C) to implement the United Nations Special
Rapporteur’s recommendation for an independent
inquiry into the possibility of collusion in the killing
of defense attorney Patrick Finucane.
Attest:
Clerk.