Northern Ireland

Renewed calls for independent investigation into the 2001 murder of Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan

Journalist Martin O'Hagan was shot dead in Lurgan on September 28, 2001
Journalist Martin O'Hagan was shot dead in Lurgan on September 28, 2001 Journalist Martin O'Hagan was shot dead in Lurgan on September 28, 2001

THE National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has made a renewed call for an independent investigation into the murder of journalist Martin O'Hagan.

Mr O'Hagan, who worked for the Sunday World, was shot and killed on September 28 2001.

The 50-year-old was gunned down by the LVF as he walked home with his wife following an evening at a pub in Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Mr O’Hagan was the first working journalist to be killed in Northern Ireland since the outbreak of the Troubles in 1969.

In a joint statement, issued to mark the anniversary of Mr O'Hagan's death today, Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ General Secretary and Séamus Dooley, NUJ Assistant General Secretary, called for the appointment of an external investigator to carry out an independent inquiry into the murder.

"The NUJ remains gravely concerned at the failure to apprehend those responsible for the murder of Martin O’Hagan," they said.

"The cold blooded killing of a courageous investigative journalist should be investigated by an independent body. The failure to adequately investigate the murder serves to undermine confidence in the rule of law. There are so many unanswered questions about the murder of Martin that the case should be urgently reviewed.

“The family, colleagues and friends of Martin continue to mourn a journalist of integrity and bravery. It is not good enough that his killing should simply be regard as an `unsolved murder'.

"There is an onus on the UK government, as part of its commitment to global press freedom, to show political leadership on this issue. We call on the Irish government, as co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, to support our demand."