Human Rights First CONDEMNS STOBIE MURDER,
Says Consequences of No Independent Finucance Investigation “Continue to be Fatal”

 Human Rights First condemns the murder of William Stobie this morning in Belfast and calls on British officials to ensure a credible investigation into the circumstances of his death and prosecution of all those responsible.   In recent years, Stobie had emerged as a critical witness concerning the 1989 murder of well-known defense lawyer Patrick Finucane, and he was shot to death only two weeks after calling publicly for an independent inquiry into the Finucane case. 

Stobie had publicly acknowledged that at the time of Finucane’s murder, he was simultaneously an informer for the Special Branch of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the quartermaster of the UDA/UFF, the loyalist paramilitary group that claimed responsibility for Finucane’s killing.  UK officials charged Stobie with aiding and abetting the Finucane killing, although Stobie publicly maintained that he had given his Special Branch handlers sufficient information to prevent the murder. The Stobie prosecution, which commenced ten years after Finucane was murdered and was plagued by problems, collapsed two weeks ago. Upon his release Stobie said publicly that an independent inquiry into the Finucane killing was necessary.  Accounts of police and military collusion with the paramilitaries to murder Finucane and then cover up the circumstances continue to surface, while official efforts to resolve the case have been inadequate and unsuccessful.

Stobie’s murder today underscores once again the urgent need for a full, independent public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane.  The UK government’s current proposal to appoint an international judge to investigate allegations of collusion in Finucane’s murder and five other contentious cases has significant limitations.  Robert O. Varenik,  Policing Director of Human Rights First, explained, “Given the complexity of the Finucane case, and the limits of the proposed inquiry process, the government’s proposal is a recipe for failure. Another half-measure will only further delay the start of a thorough inquiry that can reveal the truth and restore any confidence in the government’s will to resolve this case,” Varenik  said. “In the meantime, continuing revelations  in this case highlight the government hiding misdeeds of major proportions, with consequences that continue to be fatal.”