FAMILIES BEREAVED in the British army killings on Bloody Sunday have repeated calls for the publication of the inquiry into the affair, as new plans for its eventual release were announced.
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.
However while relatives await the report’s release, it has been 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 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 was obliged to have the document checked to ensure safety of individuals would not be compromised by it and to avoid legal challenges to it. He agreed to requests that the report remain in the hands of Lord Saville while the legal checks were carried out, but warned that if an election was called before the process was completed, publication could be delayed.
Mr Duddy said relatives were “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.” – (PA)