"Lynch said in his verdict that he was satisfied that soldiers had lost all sense of military discipline and opened fire with intent to kill and that those responsible should hang their heads in shame. But he said the case fell short of the burden of proof. Delay has, in my view, seriously hampered the capacity of the defence to test the veracity and accuracy of the hearsay statements, he said."
"On January 30, 1972, British paratroopers opened fire on unarmed civil rights protesters as more than 10,000 people marched in Derry. British soldiers shot at least 26 unarmed civilians. Thirteen people were killed, while another man died from his injuries four months later. The massacre became a pivotal moment in the Troubles, helping to fuel nearly three decades of violence between Irish nationalists seeking civil rights and a united Ireland, pro-British unionists wanting Northern Ireland to remain in the United Kingdom, and the British Army."
A Belfast court acquitted a former British paratrooper, known as Soldier F, of two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder over the Bloody Sunday killings. Soldier F faced charges of murdering James Wray and William McKinney and attempting to murder five others. On January 30, 1972, soldiers opened fire on an unarmed civil rights march in Derry, shooting at least 26 civilians; 13 died immediately and another died months later. The judge said soldiers lost military discipline and opened fire with intent to kill but ruled the prosecution fell short of proof, citing delay and hearsay limitations. An initial 1972 Widgery Tribunal largely cleared soldiers. Victims' relatives and Northern Ireland political leaders condemned the acquittal.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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