From: The Pat Finucane Centre
May 8th marks the fourth anniversary of the murder of Robert Hamill in Portadown. The family have released a statement which is included below. Please scroll further down for a copy of a fax which can be printed off and sent to Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Secretary of State Dr John Reid. For further information on the case and details of the Robert Hamill Justice Campaign website see www.serve.com/pfc under Robert Hamill.
Statement from Diane Hamill on the anniversary of the death of Robert Hamill
Living in Land Where Justice Fails
It is four years to this day that my brother, Robert Hamill died. He was just 25 years old. Robert was attacked by a Loyalist mob beside an RUC land rover with four armed RUC officers inside. The story of how they failed to protect or assist Robert portrays a disturbing image of sectarian police officers, which has reverberated far beyond Portadown.
Murder is the theft of a basic human right to life. To loose a member of your family in such a way it is difficult to imagine that life can ever continue as before, impossible to forget the sorrow and sense of loss. Perhaps justice might go some way to easing the pain but four years on we still have no justice, still that slight comfort is denied.
The campaign for justice did not begin by design rather it was forced by necessity. As Robert lay unconscious in a hospital bed I found myself publicly challenging the version of events depicted in RUC press releases. They insinuated that Robert had been involved in clashes between rival factions but witnesses had told a different story.
Eleven days after the assault the RUC eventually acknowledged that Robert was an innocent victim of an assault. The following day he died and only then was this treated as a serious crime and arrests made. It seems as though it is not a crime for a mob to attack a Catholic in Portadown 96 it only becomes a crime once a Catholic dies and the RUC are publicly challenged about the circumstances.
The RUC had put little effort into securing evidence, witness statements or suspects at the time of the incident. It seemed inconceivable that they would be allowed to proceed with the murder investigation considering the complicity of RUC officers present that night. They would never satisfy our quest for truth, and ultimately I did not believe anyone would be convicted for Robert's murder.
There are many questions concerning the assault and the conduct of the RUC both during and after the attack, which have still to be answered. There has been no inquest, no investigation without RUC involvement and as a result no-one has been held accountable for Robert's murder. There is an investigation in progress at present under direction of the Ombudsman's office but it still relies on RUC intelligence and manpower.
Every avenue of justice has been exhausted with numerous deviations on route. We can see no other course of action but that of an inquiry as we have consistently asked for from the beginning. Four years on I feel it is time for the British Government to instigate a public judicial inquiry. In order for society to accept the past and move forward this shameful mockery of the law must be resolved for what is society without justice?
Copy of fax to be printed
Rt Hon Tony Blair,The Prime Minister,
10 Downing St,
London SW1
Fax: 07 925 0918
Rt Hon Dr John Reid,The Secretary of State,
The Northern Ireland Office,
London SW1.
Fax: 028 90 528 1
Dear Mr Blair and Dr Reid,
As you may know, May 8th is the fourth
anniversary of Robert Hamill's death. The case for an independent judicial
inquiry is overwhelming, and to torment the Hamill family by delaying justice
is inhumane. Such a policy can only be explained by political pressure
from the Ulster Unionist Party and private pressure from the RUC. Such
considerations must be overruled in the cause of truth and justice.
The Ombudsman's investigation is welcome, but it is not a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Robert's death. The fact that arrests have recently taken place is a reaffirmation of the fact that a great deal is badly wrong in this case. The arrests do not demonstrate that everything is in hand and should not delay the announcement of an inquiry.
Your responses to correspondents still insist that an inquiry will not be called while there is a "possibility of proceedings". This is unjust, firstly because there is always the possibility of proceedings. New evidence could come to light at any time. How many years must the Hamills wait before the all the facts are aired thoroughly and publicly? Secondly, by insisting that there must be no possibility of proceedings, the government has limited the family's legal options, and the reward for their patience seems to be inaction.
Please do not humiliate this family any longer by making them wait. They have suffered enough. You will be aware that similarities have been drawn between the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill and the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, and that the Lawrence family support the Hamills' calls for justice. Robert's case deserves the same kind of scrutiny as Stephen's, and there is no argument for further delay.
I would appreciate a response to this letter.
Yours sincerely