Wednesday, 10 March, 2004

McBride meeting at German Embassy

Blair faces concerted lobbying on McBride case

Press release

By Pat Finucane Centre, Derry

Members of the McBride family will travel to Dublin tomorrow (Thursday) to coincide with the visit to the capital of British Prime Minister Tony Blair who is due to meet Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

In advance of the visit the McBride family has urged the Taoiseach’s office to raise with the British PM the ongoing controversary surrounding the decision to retain the two soldiers convicted of Peter McBride’s 1992 murder in the British Army.

During the inter-governmental talks a letter will be handed in calling on the British PM to,

“…uphold international human rights standards and obligations and make clear that convicted murderers cannot remain members of the British Armed Forces.”

Speaking today Peter McBride senior said,

“Tony Blair could have resolved this years ago. As Prime Minister he could call Geoff Hoon (Minister of Defence) into his office tomorrow morning and lay down the law. That he hasn’t is absolutely shameful.”

On Thursday afternoon the family will then brief German Embassy officials on the background to the case. Guardsmen Wright and Fisher, who were convicted of Peter’s murder, were based at Oxford Barracks in Muenster, Germany before being posted to Iraq. The MoD has refused to confirm or deny reports that the two have been reposted to Germany. A spokesperson for the PFC who will accompany the family said,

“We have already raised this with the German Foreign and Defence Ministries and there is total disbelief that the British Government would retain murderers in its armed forces and anger that they would then be stationed on German soil.”

The MP for the Muenster area, Winni Nachtwei, has supported the call to have the pair dismissed from the army.

Note to editors

In June 2003 the Court of Appeal ruled that the reasons offered as ‘exceptional’ by an Army Board justifying retention of Wright and Fisher were not ‘exceptional’. On April 20/21 2004 a third Judicial Review hearing will take place where solicitors for the McBride family will seek a ruling forcing the MoD to dismiss the Guardsmen.

Detailed background on the case is available at  www.serve.com/pfc