Boston College Fight Legal Action

Boston College has defended its legal bid to keep interviews carried out with former paramilitaries.

Jack Dunn from the college says he suspects the interviews are wanted in connection with dissident republican activity rather than past events.

Mr Dunn also claims that there are a lot of questions in Ireland about whether the call for the interviews to be handed over is politically motivated.

The college has done everything in its power to avoid handing the tapes over and said that when they were originally requested they had no idea whether it was actually the PSNI requesting them.

However the PSNI has confirmed that its Crime Operation Branch is seeking the transcripts.

Last year, the PSNI began a legal bid to gain access to the interviews with former republicans and loyalists held by the college.

At the time, it was believed they were being sought by detectives investigating cases of the so called ‘disappeared’ but it has now been said that if other information were to come to light, the PSNI was entitled to investigate in the normal way.

The college researchers promised the interviewees that their accounts would remain confidential until after their deaths.

Referring to the interviews being handed over Mr Dunn said: "Nobody wanted to see that happen. I don't think anybody anticipated it, in light of the Good Friday Agreement."

(LB)