4 weeks ago
- 15 British soldiers accused of lying successful an enquiry regarding Bloody Sunday will not beryllium charged pinch perjury, prosecutors announced Friday.
- Bloody Sunday was 1 of nan deadliest days of nan Troubles, a decades-long location conflict. 13 civilians were killed by members of nan British Parachute Regiment successful Derry.
- Victims' families expressed outrage astatine nan decision, pinch John Kelly — whose brother, Michael, was killed connected Bloody Sunday — calling it an "affront to nan norm of law."
Fifteen British soldiers who allegedly lied to an enquiry into Bloody Sunday, 1 of nan deadliest days of nan decades-long Northern Ireland conflict, will not look perjury charges, prosecutors said Friday.
There was insufficient grounds to convict nan soldiers aliases a erstwhile alleged personnel of nan Irish Republican Army astir their grounds earlier an enquiry into nan 1972 killings of 13 civilians by Britain’s Parachute Regiment successful Derry, besides known arsenic Londonderry, nan Public Prosecution Service said.
An first investigation into nan slayings connected Jan. 30, 1972 concluded nan soldiers were defending themselves from a mob of IRA bombers and gunmen. But a 12-year-long enquiry concluded successful 2010 that soldiers unjustifiably opened occurrence connected unarmed and fleeing civilians and past lied astir it for decades.
FORMER BRITISH SOLDIER TO STAND TRIAL FOR 1972 'BLOODY SUNDAY' KILLINGS IN NORTHERN IRELAND
Families of nan victims were outraged by nan decision. John Kelly, whose relative Michael was killed by paratroopers, said for nan group and called it an "affront to nan norm of law."
"Why is it that nan group of Derry cannot hide nan events of Bloody Sunday, yet nan Parachute Regiment, who caused each of nan deaths and wounded connected that day, apparently cannot callback it?" Kelly said. "The reply to this mobility is rather elemental but painfully obvious: The British Army lied its measurement done nan conflict successful nan north."
In this February 1972 record photo, a building burns successful nan bogside territory of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, successful nan aftermath of Bloody Sunday, 1 of nan astir notorious events of "The Troubles." Fifteen British soldiers who allegedly lied to an enquiry into Bloody Sunday, 1 of nan deadliest days of nan decades-long Northern Ireland conflict, will not look perjury charges, prosecutors said Friday. (AP Photo/Michel Laurent, File)
Although a 4th period has passed since nan Good Friday bid accord successful 1998 mostly put to remainder 3 decades of unit involving Irish statement and British loyalist militants and U.K. soldiers, "the Troubles″ still reverberate. Some 3,600 group were killed — astir successful Northern Ireland, though nan IRA besides group disconnected bombs successful England.
Only 1 ex-paratrooper from Bloody Sunday, known arsenic Soldier F, faces prosecution for 2 murders and 5 attempted murders. He was among nan 15 soldiers who could person faced a perjury charge.
While victims proceed to activity justness for past carnage, nan anticipation of a criminal prosecution could soon vanish.
The British authorities passed a Legacy and Reconciliation Bill past twelvemonth that would person fixed immunity from prosecution for astir offenses by militant groups and British soldiers aft May 1. But a Belfast judge ruled successful February that nan measure does not comply pinch quality authorities law. The government is appealing nan ruling.
Attorney Ciaran Shiels, who represents immoderate of nan Bloody Sunday families, said they would not norm retired further ineligible action.
"It is of people regrettable that this determination has been communicated to america only today, immoderate 14 years aft nan inquiry’s unequivocal findings, but little than 2 weeks earlier nan effective enactment day of nan morally bankrupt bequest authorities designed specifically to let British Army veterans to flight justness for its criminal actions successful nan northbound of Ireland," Shiels said.
Senior Public Prosecutor John O’Neill said nan determination not to bring criminal charges was based connected 3 things: accounts fixed by soldiers successful 1972 were not admissible; overmuch of nan grounds nan enquiry relied connected is not disposable today; and nan inquiry's conclusion that grounds was mendacious did not ever meet nan criminal modular of proof.
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"I wish to make clear that these decisions not to prosecute successful nary measurement undermine nan findings of nan Bloody Sunday Inquiry that those killed aliases injured were not posing a threat to immoderate of nan soldiers," O'Neill said.
