A British Ex-soldier who was involved in the “bloody Sunday” in 1972 in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry, has to answer for two counts of murder before the court. In addition, he is accused of attempted murder in four other cases, such as the Prosecutor’s office in Northern Ireland announced on Thursday at a Meeting with relatives of the victims. Against 18 other Suspects, there is not sufficient evidence to justify a prosecution. The decision of the Prosecutor is seen as an important step in the workup of the Northern Ireland conflict.

The year 1972 was one of the bloodiest in the conflict in Northern Ireland. British paratroopers shot dead on 30. In January, the “Bloody Sunday” of Londonderry (Derry), in the Northern Irish city of 13 Catholic demonstrators. Another died months later from his injuries. As a result of intensified conflict between Catholics and Protestants. In retaliation, the Irish Republican underground organization, the IRA perpetrated in the months that followed a number of attacks.

In the decades-long conflict with Catholic nationalists seeking Union with Ireland, and Protestant unionists, who want to continue to belong to Britain.

The case was for the responsible security forces so far, no criminal consequences. A UK government-appointed Commission came a little later to the conclusion that the elite soldiers had acted in self-defense. Also, a British court ruled that the actions of the soldiers as legitimate self-defense against Irish terrorists. A 2010 published study came to the conclusion that the shots fired on bloody Sunday were not justified.

More about

Brexit and Northern Ireland “If the do in London, stupid, bangs’s”

Hannes Heine

The British Northern Ireland Minister Karen Bradley had only recently caused violent protests, because they had declared in the London Parliament that the killings by British soldiers and police in the Northern Ireland conflict were not as a crime. (dpa)