Soldiers lawyers demands reports on civilian witnesses

A crisis is looming in the Bloody Sunday tribunal after lawyers for the soldiers who opened fire demanded to see intelligence reports on civilian witnesses.

The witnesses’ lawyers are advising them not to give evidence until they are certain of their rights and legal position.

Lawyers acting for soldiers in the Parachute Regiment and senior British officers on Bloody Sunday are asking that intelligence files on all witnesses to the killings be made public.

They say the information could affect the credibility of the evidence being given to the Tribunal.

Lawyers for the civilian witnesses, however, say much intelligence information is hearsay and could involve something as minor as who a witness’s friends were or if they had been on civil rights marches before Bloody Sunday.

They also say revealing British intelligence file could leave witnesses vulnerable to loyalist attack and could breach the European Convention on Human Rights.

They also say that the names of the British soldiers involved are not being made public, let alone details of their political or military records.