FAMILIES OF those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 have cautiously welcomed the announcement by the chairman of the tribunal of inquiry that he will retain control over his mammoth report until it has been checked.
Lord Saville was to have passed his findings to Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward next Monday, March 22nd.
The British government said it would then examine the report to review it for possible national security implications and to see it complied with European Convention rules on protection of human life.
Relatives of those killed feared the government would redact sections of the report and possibly delay its publication until after the Westminster election, expected in May. “We ask, is it fair that the British government get advance access to the report, advance possibility of preparing a response, with the possibility of changing Lord Saville’s report itself?” they said in a statement.
“We ask, is it justice that the British government, who were responsible for Bloody Sunday, will control the release and maybe even the content of the report?” The announcement by Lord Saville means British government lawyers can now scrutinise the report while it is still in his possession, a decision hailed by the families as an “unprecedented decision which makes legal history”.
The families’ support group statement said: “While we disagree fundamentally with the need for a security review, we nevertheless welcome Lord Saville’s decision to retain possession of the report until it is ready to be made public. We feel now that this report can and should be released before the dissolution of parliament, and we urge Lord Saville to take every precaution to ensure that his report is not undermined in any way.”
It is hoped that the checking of the report will take about two weeks. Mr Woodward can then decide to make the findings public.
A spokesman for the families hoped the announcement by the chairman will “reduce the length of time for which the Secretary of State has to be in possession of the report before publication”.