Widgery Tribunal

The Widgery Tribunal examined the events of 30 January 1972 in Derry, when British soldiers shot 26 civilians, killing 14. Lord Chief Justice Widgery reported within 11 weeks, finding that while some soldiers' firing 'bordered on the reckless', the soldiers had been fired upon first and had aimed at identified targets. The tribunal made no recommendations for reform.

The report faced immediate criticism. The Irish government's assessment noted inconsistencies in soldiers' evidence. Eyewitness accounts contradicted key findings. For 26 years, the Widgery Report remained the official British government account of events.

In 1998, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a new inquiry under Lord Saville, stating that the Widgery Report had been unable to establish the truth. The Saville Inquiry (1998-2010) concluded that the killings were 'unjustified and unjustifiable', that none of the casualties was posing a threat, and that soldiers had knowingly put forward false accounts to Widgery. Following Saville's report, Prime Minister David Cameron formally apologised in the House of Commons.

The Widgery Tribunal's significance lies not in reforms it generated but in the precedent it set. Parliamentary debates on the Inquiries Act 2005 specifically cited Widgery as an example of why reform of the tribunal system was needed. The contrast between Widgery's rapid, limited investigation and Saville's comprehensive 12-year inquiry informed discussions about appropriate timescales, powers, and procedures for public inquiries examining contested events.

Revisited or re-examined Saville Inquiry