Dive Brief:

• Four former members of Irish paramilitary groups plan to sue Boston College over the release of interviews from an oral history project that was supposed to be confidential.
• The lead lawsuit, by former Irish Republican Army member Richard O'Rawe, accuses the college of breach of contract for not advising him that his testimony might be released if a court ordered it.
• More than 40 former gunmen and bombers from both sides of the violent conflict in Northern Ireland were interviewed as a part of the college’s “Belfast Project.”

Dive Insight:

Boston College was forced to turn over some of the interview materials — following a lengthy court battle — as evidence in the ongoing Northern Ireland police investigation of the IRA's kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville in 1972. That led to the arrest of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. He was released after five days of questioning. Earlier this month, Boston College offered to return the original recordings to the interviewees, in an attempt to shield the participants from additional police action.