MESSAGE
OF SUPPORT FROM BRITISH IRISH RIGHTS WATCH
TO THE BLOODY SUNDAY FAMILIES (February 2010)
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TO THE BLOODY SUNDAY FAMILIES (February 2010)
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PRESS RELEASE
Media embargo: 11:00 am Tuesday 23rd February 2010
MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM BRITISH IRISH RIGHTS WATCH
TO THE BLOODY SUNDAY FAMILIES
British Irish rights watch (BIRW) fully supports the families of the victims and the survivors of Bloody Sunday in their call to Lord Saville to take charge of the publication of his forthcoming report on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
The Bloody Sunday families were the victim of a government-inspired whitewash in the form of the Widgery Inquiry. They campaigned long and hard for an unprecedented second public inquiry, and they have waited years for the report.
It is not right that the Secretary of State should have 14 days to “scrutinise” the report before the families have a chance to see it. The Northern Ireland Office was an interested party during the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, and it is wholly wrong that they should be the first to see this long-awaited report.
Lord Saville has always maintained his independence. It should be for him to determine who should see his report, when, and where. These should not be political decisions made by the Secretary of State. The Bloody Sunday families are the people most affected by the report, yet they are making no claims for special treatment. They are merely saying that the process of publication should be independent of government.
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Information for Editors
1. British Irish RIGHTS WATCH (BIRW) is an independent non-governmental organisation that has been monitoring the human rights dimension of the conflict, and the peace process, in Northern Ireland since 1990. Our vision is of a Northern Ireland in which respect for human rights is integral to all its institutions and experienced by all who live there. Our mission is to secure respect for human rights in Northern Ireland and to disseminate the human rights lessons learned from the Northern Ireland conflict in order to promote peace, reconciliation and the prevention of conflict. BIRW’s services are available, free of charge, to anyone whose human rights have been violated because of the conflict, regardless of religious, political or community affiliations. BIRW take no position on the eventual constitutional outcome of the conflict.
2. BIRW worked on the Bloody Sunday case from 1992 onwards and helped to bring about the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
3. BIRW had independent observers present throughout the hearings by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. Their reports can be found at www.birw.org
4. For further information, contact Jane Winter, Director, British Irish rights watch, 200 8772 9161.
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
