New inquiry planned for 'Bloody Sunday' killings in Northern Ireland

July 06, 2012

Authorities in Northern Ireland have announced plans for a new investigation into the “Bloody Sunday” killings of January 30, 1972.

An earlier investigation concluded that police had opened fire on Catholic demonstrators in the town of Derry without provocation. But to date no charges have been filed against those responsible for the incident, in which 13 people were killed and others wounded. The episode remains one of the most sensitive in a long history of violent conflicts in the region.

The call for a new inquiry brought forth tensions that survive in Northern Ireland despite the arrival of a stable peace agreement. Unionist leaders questioned why the killings of Bloody Sunday should receive special treatment, when violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) is not subject to new investigation.

Martin McGuiness, the former IRA official who is now deputy first minister in Northern Ireland, also became a subject of new scrutiny. McGuiness denied reports that he carrying a submachine gun in Derry at the time of the Bloody Sunday shootings. He promised full cooperation with any investigation.

 

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Further information:

• N.Ireland tensions rise over Bloody Sunday probe (AP)
• Bloody Sunday investigation 'must include Martin McGuinness' (BBC)
• Bloody Sunday murder inquiry to be launched by Northern Ireland police (Guardian)