The British government's inquiry into the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in which soldiers shot dead 13 men in the Bogside area of Derry, has ruled that the names of informers contained in some British Ministry of Defence documents, should remain secret.
The inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville, has accepted the MOD's argument that to name the informers during the inquiry, which starts in Derry's Guildhall on March 27th, could put the lives of the informers and their families at risk. A spokesperson for the inquiry said yesterday that in reaching their conclusions, the inquiry members took into account that there was nothing in the documents relating to IRA plans for the march on January 30th, 1972. Five of the documents are intelligence summaries dating from around the time of Bloody Sunday.
The inquiry also ruled that former Irish correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, Toby Harnden, must reveal the identity of a soldier referred to as X, who claimed in an interview with Mr Harnden, that he had opened fire on Bloody Sunday.
"We invite Mr Harnden's legal advisers to discuss with the solicitor to the inquiry the most convenient way for Mr Harnden to comply with this ruling, bearing in mind that the inquiry needs the information in question as soon as possible", the inquiry spokesperson said.
The inquiry also ruled against an application that civilian witnesses called to give evidence should, as a general rule, be legally represented.