'Bloody Sunday' still scars Northern Ireland 50 years on

People stand outside the Houses of Parliament to commemorate the victims of the "Bloody Sunday" shootings ahead of the 50th anniversary, in London, Britain, January 27, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley

LONDONDERRY (Reuters) - Five decades after British soldiers killed 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers on one of the defining days of the Northern Ireland conflict, relatives are still searching for the justice they believe is needed for a scarred society to heal.

Family and friends of the 13 Catholics who died in Londonderry on "Bloody Sunday", Jan. 30, 1972 - and of a 14th who died later of his wounds - gathered this week for a series of commemorations to mark the event that helped fuel three decades of bitter sectarian and political violence.