Vol. 504 No. 2
117 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the report presented by the UN rapporteur, Param Cumaraswamy, into alleged harassment of defence lawyers in Northern Ireland; the discussions, if any, he has had with the Secretary of State, Dr. Mowlam, in relation to an independent inquiry into the allegations in this report [10105/99]
The Government attaches great importance to the work of the special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, the distinguished Malaysian jurist Mr. Param Cumaraswamy. Since his appointment, the special rapporteur has pursued his mandate with diligence and zeal.
We especially value the work of the special rapporteur in relation to Northern Ireland. He has drawn attention last year, and again this year, to allegations of the intimidation and harassment of defence lawyers in Northern Ireland. This issue, as well as the individual cases highlighted by the special rapporteur, have been raised with the British authorities through the framework of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.
Specifically, the special rapporteur, in his 1999 report, which was published before the murder of Rosemary Nelson, again drew attention to allegations of intimidation against her, which he had addressed in his 1998 report. He has subsequently expressed his outrage at her murder. The Government shares the widespread concern that the investigation into this appalling crime should be demonstrably independent, thorough and effective. Discussions are ongoing in connection with the conduct of the investigation. In particular, the Government has emphasised that all those who may have relevant information or be potential witnesses must feel free to come forward.
We recognise fully the legitimate interest of the international human rights community, including the special rapporteur, in this investigation, and will continue to urge the relevant authorities to take this fully into account.
The special rapporteur has also repeated his call for an independent judicial inquiry into the murder some ten years ago of Patrick Finucane, another defence lawyer.
On 12 February 1999 the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, met with the widow of Pat Finucane. At this meeting, she received a copy of a new report by British-Irish Rights Watch into allegations of collusion and a copy of the report was presented the same day to the British Government.
