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Northern Irish Police: We Want Full BC Archive

A woman passes graffiti on the Falls Road referring to former Republicans who took park in the Boston college tape recordings in West Belfast, Northern Ireland on May 4, 2014. Peter Mulhy/AFP/Getty Images

The Police Service of Northern Ireland wants the full archive of a Boston College project about the Irish Republican Army during the Troubles. The service said full access to the school’s interviews with former IRA members is needed to fully investigate their crimes, according to the Irish Times.

From the Times:

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The interviewees were assured by Boston College that their contributions to the project would not be revealed until after their deaths. But a US judge ruled in favor of Irish investigators last year and ordered any interviews related to the 1972 death of Jean McConville be released to police. Police now say that release offered a small portion of the full archive, which they need for a proper investigation, according to the Times.

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In April, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was arrested for his suspected involvement in the McConville murder. Police made the arrest based in part on material found in the BC archive. He was released five days later. Other IRA activists have sued Boston College for failing to protect the interviews as promised.

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