Bloody Sunday families renew calls for inquiry publication
Families bereaved in the British Army killings on Bloody Sunday today repeated calls for the publication of the inquiry into the affair, as new plans for its eventual release were announced.
British Government lawyers are currently examining the report compiled by Lord Saville on the events of January 1972 when soldiers opened fire during a civil rights march in Derry, killing 14 people.
But while relatives await the report’s release, it was confirmed that the authorities will now allow two members of each family early access to the report on the day of its release, despite initial plans to allow only one relative to read the document in the hours before it goes public.
The Bloody Sunday families said they were informed of the decision by Secretary of State Shaun Woodward.
Gerry Duddy, whose 17-year-old brother Jackie was shot dead on Bloody Sunday said: “This development is obviously a lot better than one person being granted prior access to the report.
“It was widely felt that the pressure on one person would have been too much to bear.
“How they expected one person to absorb the findings of this colossal report is beyond us, especially considering that it is taking up to two weeks for legal experts to scrutinise these same documents.”
Mr Woodward said he is obliged to have the document checked to ensure the safety of individuals will not be compromised by its contents and to avoid legal challenges to the document.
The Secretary of State agreed to requests that the report remain in the hands of Lord Saville while the legal checks are carried out, but he warned if an election was called before the process is completed, the document’s publication could be delayed.
Mr Duddy said: “The fact that the government have now conceded to allow two members of each family will certainly ease the burden of seeing the final report.
“However, we are still unhappy with these constant delays, the latest of which is the so-called ’security review’ currently taking place. Despite continual assurances that he would release the report under this current government, the Secretary of State has yet to deliver.
“Our families, the wounded and the wider population of Derry have waited over 38 years for the findings of this inquiry.
“This will be an incredibly emotional event and there will be a great deal of anxiety felt by both those involved in the report pre-read and by all other family members waiting patiently for its findings.
“After many long, hard years of campaigning the time has come for the British establishment to acknowledge their wrongdoings and set the truth free.”
