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After a debate by British MPs and nearly 22 years, the full facts and documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster, resulting in the death of 96 Liverpool fans, will be released to the general public.
On April 15, 1989, on an FA Cup Semi Final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield, 95 fans supporters were killed, crushed into pens at the Lapping Lane End of the Hillsborough Stadium. Another victim passed away after a three year coma in 1992.
Home Secretary, Theresa May, spoke about the Government being fully committed to full transparency about the Hillsborough disaster through full public disclosure. Still, there won’t be any immediate public access due to the fact that all government documents, including Cabinet minutes had been handed over to the independent panel set up to review the papers for public release.
Once the panel completes the review, everything will be released, except for minimal omissions, regarding names of junior officials and private information regarding the victims.
Not everyone is happy with the way the Government, back then of course, and also now, handled the demand from the public, including a e-petition signed by 139,000 people on a website the government set up, allowing people to suggest subjects for parliamentary debates. May apologized for the way the Government reacted to a freedom of information request.
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Steve Rotheram, former Liverpool Mayor, attack the Establishment Cover Up which led to Liverpool fans and the victims themselves to be initially blamed for the tragedy. I call on the Prime Minister to make a statement in this House and apologise for the mistakes that were made and the mishandling of this whole tragedy on behalf of a previous government. Misdirection, obfuscation and damn lies were all used as smokescreens to deflect attention away from the guilty.
The meeting between the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and South Yorkshire Police is probably the minutes most of the families most want to see exposed, believing that was the source for newspaper reports suggesting the fans themselves were to blame.