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Pearse Jordan was shot dead by undercover RUC officers on the Falls Road in West Belfast on 25th November 1992. The car he was driving was rammed by the RUC and as Pearse staggered away from the car, he was shot three times in the back. In May 2001, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a landmark ruling which found that the British government had violated human rights laws in the controversial killing of Pearse Jordan and that of several other nationalists. In response to the European Court rulings, the British government promised a package of measures aimed at satisfying the families of those killed. This package of measures was described as "wholly inadequate" by Sinn Féin former MLA Bairbre de Brún, and Hugh Jordan has appealed to the Irish government to reject the measures, demanding a new and independent investigation into his son's murder. In November 2002 Pearse's father, Hugh Jordan said "For ten years we have been trying to get justice through the British courts system, but we have been frustrated at every turn. This has done nothing to weaken our determination to see justice done, no matter how long it takes." Troops Out Movement support Mr Hugh Jordan in his fight for justice for his son.
Judgement has been reserved in a High Court action taken by the family of slain IRA volunteer Pearse Jordan. In November 1992, Mr Jordan, who was unarmed, was shot three times in the back by an undercover RUC unit on the Falls Road. At the High Court last Friday, counsel for the Jordan family, Mr Seamus Treacy (instructed by Madden and Finucane) argued that the Secretary of State was in continued breach of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights – the right to life – by failing to properly investigate Pearse Jordan's killing. Mr Treacy told the court that nothing has changed since the European Court ruled against the British government on the matter in May 2001. He stated that the government is still in breach of European law and he called upon the Court of Appeal to issue a declaration that such a breach exists, along with an 'order of mandamus' to instruct immediate corrective action from the Secretary of State. Counsel for the Secretary of State, Declan Morgan, argued that the inquest system is the way in which Article 2 is complied with by the state. Speaking to the Andersonstown News following the hearing, however, a spokesperson for Madden and Finucane solicitors explained that Pearse Jordan's inquest is currently adjourned pending full disclosure of relevant material from the state. It could be at least 2005 before the inquest resumes, said the spokesperson. A separate Appeal Court hearing by the Jordan family is scheduled to take place this morning, in a bid to appeal the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to give reasons for its failure to prosecute any of the RUC officers who were involved in the killing of Pearse Jordan.
Support
for Family of Pearse Jordan Commenting on the decision of the High Court in Belfast to dismiss a case taken by the family of Pearse Jordan against the DPP for failing to provide reasons why they failed to prosecute the RUC killer of their son, West Belfast Sinn Féin representative Bairbre de Brún said: "The battle by the family of Pearse Jordan for justice has been a long one. They have been continually frustrated first by the RUC and now by the PSNI. "This latest court battle was an attempt by the Jordan family to seek answers from the DPP around why they failed to prosecute the RUC killer of their son. "Pearse Jordan was an unarmed man shot in the back by the RUC. That is a indisputable fact. "Sinn Féin will continue to support the Jordan family and those other families whose loved ones were killed by the British State or their surrogates in their battle for truth and justice."
Inquest delay as Britain poised to impose secret hearings An inquest into the RUC killing of IRA Volunteer Pearse Jordan in 1992 has been delayed again. The delay comes as the British Government appears poised to impose further legislation which will enable them to hold inquests in secret and presided over by Government-selected coroners. The legislation is part of the Counter-Terrorism Bill currently making its way through the British Parliament. The Bill was introduced in January of this year and had its second reading in the House of Commons in April. The provisions of the bill were not initially intended to apply to the North of Ireland but recently a House of Commons committee passed an amendment to apply the provisions to the Six Counties. The key provisions allow the British Secretary of State to issue a certificate to allow an inquest to be held in secret. The grounds are very broad and included the interests of “national security” in the interests of a relationship with another country and generally within the “public interest”. In what can only be identified as executive interference, the Bill also allows the Secretary of State to replace the coroner with a specially-selected coroner of their own choosing. Significantly, the new legislation would impact not only on subsequent inquests but also on inquests already opened but subject to delay such as the Pearse Jordan inquest. The inquest into the death of Pearse Jordan is one of a number involving controversial killings by British crown forces to have been subjected to repeated and lengthy delay. According to the campaign and support group Relatives for Justice, the new legislation would impact directly on between 40 and 50 outstanding inquests, all involving British crown forces directly or through collusion. The British Government came under international pressure to hold inquests after families of the victims successfully brought the matter before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2001, the European Court castigated the British Government for failing to investigate properly a number of contested killings and ordered new investigations. The Strasbourg court particularly referred to the delay in holding inquests. Pearse Jordan, a 23-year-old from West Belfast, was unarmed when he was shot dead on the Falls Road by an undercover RUC unit in November 1992. Jordan was shot in the back three times as he staggered out of the car he was driving after it was deliberately rammed by two unmarked RUC vehicles. Eyewitnesses said the covert unit immediately opened fire without issuing a verbal warning. Despite the fact that the young man posed no threat, there was no attempt made to arrest him. Speaking at the time, Pearse’s father, Hugh Jordan, immediately called for a public inquiry. “There should be no whitewash over my son’s murder. This was murder, pure and simple, cold-blooded murder,” he said. Since the killing, the Jordan family have fought a long legal battle to have the RUC officers involved in the killing give evidence in court, a battle they recently won after an appeal to the British Law Lords. A ruling by the British House of Lords not only compelled those responsible for the killing to attend the inquest but also widened the scope of the inquest to include more than the restricted ‘findings’ of who, when and how. Announcing the latest delay during a preliminary inquest hearing, senior coroner John Leckey blamed the PSNI and described their failure as “totally unacceptable”. Voicing his frustration at the further delay of the Jordan inquest, the chief coroner expressed concern regarding other outstanding inquests into controversial killings. “I dread to think what is going to happen in the other so called legacy inquests when they are going to start from scratch.” The latest delay emerged after the PSNI, who had been tasked to carry out risk assessments into any potential threat to 13 officers involved in the killing and due to give evidence at the inquest, announced the assessment had not been completed. Coroner Leckey said the PSNI had failed despite being given eight months to carry out the assessments and, while MI5 had taken over some responsibility, the blame lay “fairly and squarely” with the PSNI. The coroner gave a deadline of 6 June and warned the PSNI if they were not completed by then he would “proceed on the basis that they do not need a risk assessment”. But even if the PSNI comply within a month, the coroner conceded the inquest would now not take place until January 2009. Such a delay allows time for the provisions in the British Government’s new Counter-Terrorism bill to be enacted. At the hearing, a barrister representing the family, Karen Quinlivan complained that a number of crucial documents has still not been made available to her legal team. These included radio logs and debriefing notes from the PSNI. The barrister referred to the recent House of Lords ruling that there is a duty to “furnish the coroner with police records”. But a lawyer acting for the PSNI, Tony McGleenan, said there is “a difference of opinion” about the Lords’ ruling. Patterns of obfuscation have become the hallmark of investigations into contested killings carried out by British crown forces. Faced with recent successes of families and campaign groups in compelling the British into holding inquests and challenging the restrictions imposed on coroners’ courts, the British Government has responded by introducing further legislation. Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice warned that delaying tactics by the PSNI in relation to the Jordan inquest could be an attempt to override the British House of Lords ruling. “It’s not clear if Section 64 of the Anti-Terrorism Bill will be extended to the North of Ireland but it seems more and more likely. So far, British Secretary of State Shaun Woodward has refused to rule it out. “Relatives for Justice will be rigorously challenging any move towards holding inquests in secret. The provisions in the Bill are in direct breach of Article 2 of the European Charter of Human Rights which requires inquests to be independent, transparent and effective. We will be raising this issue in Europe.” The RUC and British Army were and are subject to specific rules of engagement. Despite the fact that these rules have often been blatantly ignored, the British state has refused to pursue prosecutions and has consistently engaged in attempts at cover-up, including delaying inquests.
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