Family members of the two murdered Northern Ireland lawyers, Mr Patrick Finucane and Ms Rosemary Nelson, have called for independent investigations into their murders and repeated their suspicions that there was "collusion" by the security forces.
Mrs Geraldine Finucane, widow of Mr Finucane, and Mr Eunan Magee, brother of Mrs Nelson, were testifying on Capitol Hill before the Commission on Security and Co-operation in Europe, an independent US government agency which monitors human rights in the 55 member-states of the Helsinki Accords. It is the first time the commission has held hearings on Northern Ireland.
Mrs Finucane accused the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, of being "factually wrong" in a letter to her youngest son, John, in 1998 in which he turned down an independent inquiry.
Mr Blair said Mr John Stevens had fully investigated the murder of Mr Finucane, but Mr Stevens a year later said "he had never before investigated the murder of Patrick Finucane, nor had anyone ever asked him to do so," Mrs Finucane said.
She was unhappy with the present Stevens investigation in which an RUC informer has been charged in connection with the murder.
"The actual evidence in this case strongly suggests that there was government involvement in Pat's murder, that army intelligence did send a loyalist death squad to kill him and that ever since the DPP and the RUC have done everything in their power to cover it all up," Mrs Finucane said.
Mr Eunan Magee told the hearing that today was the first anniversary of the murder of his sister, who died when her car was blown up in Lurgan.
Congressman Chris Smith, who chaired the hearing, said that last year Congress adopted a Bill which called for independent inquiries into the murders and urged the British government to institute protections for defence attorneys at risk in Northern Ire land. He said the response of the government had been "frankly disappointing" and that Mr Blair had rejected their call for a public judicial inquiry.
Congressman Bill Gilman said he would be meeting both the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Mr Peter Mandelson, at St Patrick's Day events. He would be pressing for police reforms "so that never again do we see the kind of security service collusion that was involved in the Patrick Finucane case, or, as many suspect or fear, may have been involved in the Rosemary Nelson case."
Mrs Finucane welcomed the Taoiseach's call for a full inquiry into her husband's murder. She said Mr Ahern was trying to arrange for her to meet Mr Blair.
Ten human rights groups have issued an anniversary appeal for an independent inquiry into the killing of Ms Nelson.
A petition of 100,000 signatures demanding the inquiry is due to be handed in to Downing Street this morning. Events marking the first anniversary of her death will be held in four locations in the North, in Galway, London and in five US cities.