The Five Demands

I PM dovranno ora decidere se perseguire i soldati indicati dal Rapporto Saville come gli assassini delle 13 vittime della Bloody Sunday

Ad un giorno della rivelazione del Rapporto Saville, è ora il momento delle reazioni e delle decisioni.
Nonostante sia minimo il numero dei familiari intenzionati ad avviare una causa contro i soldati nominati nel Rapporto Saville, starà ora ai pubblici ministeri decidere si procedere legalmente contro i ‘colpevoli’, con l’accusa di spergiuro.
Il rapporto Saville ha concluso che alcuni membri del I Reggimento Paracadutisti hanno “consapevolmente” fornito falsa testimonianza per giustificare il fuoco aperto sui manifestanti disarmati.
Come sottolineato da Michael Mansfield ai testimoni era stata accordata l’immunità da procedimenti giudiziari, se essi stessi si fossero auto incriminati, ma questo non comprende la falsa testimonianza.
“Il Direttore della Pubblica Accusa, sia qui in Irlanda del Nord che aLondra, deve considerare se è così grave – perché la norma di legge è stata palesemente violata in questa occasione da un numero di soldati contro alcuni cittadini britannici – da dover prendere in considerazione un procedimento giudiziario”, ha dichiarato Mansfield.
Matt Baggott, Chief Constable della PSNI, e  Alasdair Frazer, direttore del Public Prosecution Service  dovranno ora considerare le implicazioni del rapporto.
L’avvocato Stephen Pollard, che rappresenta i soldati, ritiene che la relazione Saville dovrebbe segnare l’ultima parola sulla Bloody Sunday. Egli accusa Saville di essere giunto a conclusioni omettendo chiarezza, a causa dell’eccessiva dilazione del termine della chiusura dell’indagine proporzionale all’aumento dei costi ad essa inerenti.
Il desiderio comune alla maggior parte dei familiari delle vittime, è “nessun altro debba soffrire a causa della Bloody Sunday”.

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Prosecution call over ‘lies’ to Saville (U TV)
Prosecutors in Northern Ireland are to consider whether to bring charges against soldiers accused of lying to Lord Saville’s inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings.
Michael Mansfield QC, who represented the families of some of the victims, has called for the authorities to consider bringing charges of perjury.
Lord Saville’s report concluded that some members of the Parachute Regiment “knowingly put forward false accounts” to justify opening fire on unarmed protesters.
Mr Mansfield said that while witnesses to the inquiry were given immunity from prosecution if they incriminated themselves in evidence, that did not cover false testimony.
“I do think, given the strength and clarity of the conclusions, where invented stories or falsehoods were told, that the Director of Public Prosecutions, either here in Northern Ireland or in London, should consider whether it is so serious – because the rule of law has been flagrantly breached on this occasion by a number of soldiers on a number of UK citizens – that consideration should be given to a prosecution,” he told the BBC.
In his damning report published on Tuesday, Lord Saville said the 13 people who died on Bloody Sunday had been victims of “unjustifiable firing” by the paras.
But he left it to others to apply legal judgments as to whether victims had been murdered or unlawfully killed.
Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott and director of the region’s Public Prosecution Service Sir Alasdair Fraser are to now consider the implications of the report.
Solicitor Stephen Pollard, who is representing the soldiers, believes the Saville Report should be the last word on the subject
“There is a significant problem in the report of the way in which Lord Saville has felt compelled – because of the delay and cost of this inquiry – I think he’s felt to had to provide very clear conclusions.
“So he’s gone out of his way to tie individual soldiers to individual shootings and the evidence just does not support that level of clarity.”
UTV’s correspondent Mark McFadden has said it is a difficult decision for the families.
“Many of the families have no real wish to see soldiers going to jail. The vast majority of families have said they do not want anyone else to suffer because of Bloody Sunday.
“There is a small number of families though who would actively seek prosecutions. They have been told after all by one of the highest legal authorities in the land that their loved ones were shot without justification.”