An Oireachtas human rights group wants the US embassy in Dublin to help secure an invitation for relatives of murdered Dubliner Joseph Rafferty to attend the St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House.
The human rights subcommittee of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee agreed yesterday to propose to committee chairman Dr Michael Woods that the embassy be approached with a view to securing the invitation.
The group took its decision after hearing representations from the family of Mr Rafferty, who was shot dead in Blanchardstown on April 12th, 2005, allegedly by a member of both the IRA and Sinn Féin. Accompanying the family members, Fianna Fáil councillor Gerry Keegan said "Joseph Rafferty was murdered over a petty grudge" because he had given somebody "a slap" after a row at a 21st birthday party.
While stressing that the campaign to bring the killer to justice was "not a witch-hunt against Sinn Féin", Mr Keegan added: "What the family want is for the Sinn Féin leadership to put pressure on this individual to make himself available to the gardaí and admit the crime."
Esther Rafferty, sister of the dead man, accused Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of failing to press the family's case for an invitation to the White House next week to promote their campaign.
The problem did not lie on the US side, she said. "I know for a fact he can do something. The invitation is there." She said the Taoiseach's position was a "kick in the teeth" to the relatives.