The families of those killed Bloody Sunday are to seek a judicial review into the decision to scale back the murder inquiry into the January 1972 killings in Derry.
Last month, it was announced the number of detectives involved in the investigation would be cutback to three due to cutbacks.
John Kelly, whose brother Michael was one of those shot dead by British paratroopers, called for the investigation to be “put back in place again.”
He added: “I think it’s the first time ever that a murder investigation has been stopped simply because of a lack of money. There is no lack of money, the money was there.”
Kay Green,whose brother Jackie Duddy was the first person shot dead, described the decision as “ridiculous.”
She added: “Time is passing on, we have already handed this on from one generation to another, we are now the second generation having to deal with this and the last thing I want to do is to have to possibly hand it on to the next generation.”
Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Raymond McCartney is backing the families’ request for a judicial review.
Mr McCarntey, vice-chairperson of the Assembly Justice Committee, said there was an onus “both morally and legally” on the British government to fund inquiries into state killings or where the state colluded in killings.
He added: “I accept that the PSNI like other statutory bodies are under serious financial pressures.
“But I do not accept that families who have waited almost 43 years for an investigation into the deaths of loved ones should be further victimised in a cash-saving exercise.”
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