Part 2: The Pat Finucane Centre

Our second host was the Pat Finucane Centre, “a non-party political, anti-sectarian human rights group advocating a non-violent resolution of the conflict on the island of Ireland” (Home, n.d.) We met Paul O’Connor, who spoke to us about the advocacy support the center provides for families whose relatives were harmed during The Troubles. He shared multiple cases with us, like 15-year-old Paul Whitter, who was shot by a rubber bullet in 1981. The file regarding this case had been closed by the Government Minister until 2058, but upon public pushback, it was opened to reveal that the bullets and guns fired by police and military during the conflict were faulty. He explained that families like Whitter’s do not come to the Pat Finucane Centre for compensation or justice, but more for information and official recognition by the legal system. As Zehr writes, “Victims need answers to questions they have about the offense—why it happened and what has happened since. They need real information, not speculation or the legally constrained information that comes from a trial or plea agreement” (Zehr, 2002, p. 22). This acknowledgement, though, as Mr. O’Connor made clear, requires information to be shared, a challenge that the centre encounters more often than not. Public Interest Immunity allows the British government to redact information without question, often leaving out vital information for families to understand what occurred, and The Legacy Bill has posed new challenges as it limits new cases from being opened. Zehr writes that “restorative justice requires, at minimum, that we address victims’ harms and needs, hold offenders accountable to put right those harms, and involve victims, offenders, and communities in this process” (Zehr, 2002, p. 40). The conversation with Mr. O’Connor demonstrated that reconciliation must include acknowledgement of the past and that justice is about dignity that can only be achieved through truth. 

Learn more the Pat Finucane Centre: https://www.patfinucanecentre.org/

Learn more about Public Interest Immunity: https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/guidance/public-interest-immunity

Learn more about The Legacy Bill: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66648806#:~:text=Brandon%20Lewis%20said%20the%20legislation,on%20to%20families%20and%20victims%22. 

References

BBC News. (2023, September 5). What is the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66648806

Home. (n.d.). Pat Finucane Centre. https://www.patfinucanecentre.org/

LexisNexis. (n.d.). Justice and Security Act 2013 (c. 18). https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/legislation/uk-parliament-acts/justice-and-security-act-2013-c18

Zehr, H. (2002). The little book of restorative justice (Revised and updated ed.). Good Books.