[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 128 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                        April 20, 1999.
Whereas on September 29, 1998, Rosemary Nelson, a prominent defense attorney in 
        Northern Ireland, who testified before the Subcommittee on International 
        Operations and Human Rights of the Committee on International Relations 
        of the House of Representatives, stated that she had been harassed and 
        intimidated by the Northern Ireland 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 stated 
        that ``there have been harassment and intimidation of defense lawyers by 
        RUC officers'' and that ``these harassments and intimidation were 
        consistent and systematic'';
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur recommended that authorities other 
        than the RUC conduct ``an independent and impartial investigation of all 
        threats to legal counsel in Northern Ireland'' and ``where there is a 
        threat to physical integrity of a solicitor'' the ``Government should 
        provide necessary protection'';
Whereas Northern Ireland's Independent Commission for Police 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, evasive and 
        disinterested'' and also noted an ``ill-disguised hostility to Mrs. 
        Nelson on the part of some police officers'';
Whereas the government, which provided protection for Northern Ireland judges 
        after paramilitary violence resulted in the death of four judges and 
        some family members, should also provide appropriate protection for 
        defense 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 residents 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 Ireland solicitor Rosemary 
        Nelson, the mother of three young children, suffered the ultimate 
        harassment and intimidation 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 defense attorney 
        Rosemary Nelson, including the Red Hand Defenders, a militant loyalist 
        paramilitary group that is opposed to the peace process and that has 
        claimed responsibility 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 officers;
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur reported that since the Patrick 
        Finucane murder, further information 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 recent release of Northern 
        Ireland's Independent Commission 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 investigation 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;
            (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, witness interviews, and the issuance 
                of a detailed, public report can be based on the work of law 
                enforcement 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 systematically 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.