Sir, - Amnesty International applauds the life of the fearless human rights defender, Rosemary Nelson, who was relentless in her passionate pursuit of the rule of law. We believe her death, after recent years of intimidation, harassment and threats by members of the RUC and the RIR and anonymous death threats, was a result of her work as a lawyer and human rights defender upholding the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN just over 50 years ago on December 10th, 1948.
Given the concerns raised by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints into the initial investigation being conducted by the RUC into Rosemary Nelson's complaints of intimidation and harassment; given, also, the 1998 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers conducted after a fact-finding mission in 1997 where he concluded "the RUC has engaged in activities which constitute intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference" with lawyers, Amnesty International calls on the UK government, as a member of the United Nations and a party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
to ensure that the investigation into the killing of Rosemary Nelson is carried out by investigators independent of the RUC. This would only be proper. Supervision by a UK chief constable with assistance from the FBI is not sufficiently independent, since the actual investigation is being carried out by RUC officers. Furthermore, the investigation must be seen to be independent.
to initiate without delay a judicial enquiry into allegations of harassment and intimidation by the security forces of lawyers in Northern Ireland and a separate judicial enquiry into the killing of Patrick Finucane by the Ulster Freedom Fighters in February 1989, allegedly in collusion with members of the security forces.
to take measures to ensure the safety of lawyers. The government and heads of all security forces should state clearly and publicly that the intimidation and harassment of lawyers and human rights defenders will not be tolerated.
Finally, Amnesty International is urging the UN Commission for Human Rights (currently meeting in Geneva) to appoint a special rapporteur on human rights defenders to help protect the lives of those like Rosemary Nelson around the world, who are imprisoned, tortured or killed for their work in defence of human rights and whose awesome courage stuns us all. - Yours, etc., Mary Lawlor,
Director, Amnesty International (Irish Section), Fleet Street, Dublin 2.