Pat Finucane was a Belfast lawyer murdered by loyalist paramilitaries on 12 February 1989, for defending members of the IRA in court. His murder is widely believed to have been perpetrated at the instigation of RUC Special Branch officers. He was shot 14 times in front of his family, by two masked men. A member of the Ulster Defence Regiment was later convicted of supplying one of the pistols used to kill him. The paramilitaries belonged to the Ulster Defence Association, which at the time was a legal organisation under British law. Belfast (Béal Feirste in Irish) is a city in the United Kingdom. ... For the township in Canada, see Loyalist, Ontario In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The West Cork Flying Column during the War of Independence. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ... Special Branch is the arm of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police forces that deals with national security matters. ... The Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was an infantry regiment of the British Army. ... The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is a loyalist paramilitary organisation in Northern Ireland, outlawed as a terrorist group in the UK and Republic of Ireland, which is perceived by its supporters as defending the unionist community from Irish Republican terrorism. ... The law of the United Kingdom consists of several independent legal systems which use common law principles, civil law principles, or both. ...

In 2000, Amnesty International demanded that the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Peter Mandelson, open a public inquiry into events surrounding his death. In 2001 as a result of the Weston Park talks, a retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory was appointed by the British and Irish governments to investigate the allegations of collusion by the RUC and the British army in the murder of Finucane and three other individuals during the Troubles. He reported in April 2004 and recommended a public enquiry be established in the case of the Finucane murder. This article is about the year 2000. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization with the stated purpose of promoting all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. ... The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is the British cabinet minister who has responsibility for the government of Northern Ireland. ... The Rt Hon. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Honourable Peter deCarteret Cory, B.A., LL.B., LL.D. (born October 25, 1925) was a puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1989 to 1999. ... In the study of economics, collusion takes place within an industry when rival companies cooperate for their mutual benefit. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Troubles is a term used to describe two periods of violence in Ireland during the twentieth century. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

An inquiry has since been announced by the British government, but under the Inquiries Act 2005, which empowers the government to block scrutiny of state actions. Finucane's family have criticised its limited remit and announced that they would not co-operate with it. Amnesty have reiterated their call for an independent inquiry, and have called on members of the British judiciary not to serve on the inquiry if it is held under the terms of the Act [1]. Finucane's widow Geraldine has written letters repeating this request to all the senior judges in Britain, and took out a full-page advertisement in the London newspaper, the Times, to draw attention to the campaign. The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... The Inquiries Act came into effect in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2005. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... Many newspapers use the name Times, the most famous of which are The Times of London and the New York Times. ...

External links

• Madden & Finucane Solicitors
• The Pat Finucane Centre - for human rights and social change.
• FINUCANE v. THE UNITED KINGDOM - 29178/95 [2003] ECHR 328 (1 July 2003) — European Court of Human Rights judgement in the case brought by Finucane's widow Geraldine
• Unresolved deaths: A question of collusion?