The Appeal Court in London will rule today whether 17 soldiers and soldiers who fired live rounds on Bloody Sunday can retain their anonymity when called to give evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
Lord Saville's inquiry opened its appeal against a High Court ruling last month that overturned its decision not to grant the soldiers automatic anonymity.
The High Court ruled that the inquiry had reached a "flawed" decision in May when it failed to give precedence to the soldiers' fundamental human rights.
Earlier this month the inquiry announced that the public hearings, scheduled for Derry in September, would not begin until March 2000 because of the delay in resolving the anonymity issue.