THE National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has renewed its call for an investigation into the loyalist murder of one of its members on the anniversary of his death.
Martin O’Hagan, who worked for the Dublin-based Sunday World, was shot on September 28 2001 in Lurgan, Co Armagh.
NUJ leaders Michelle Stanistreet and Seamus Dooley have written to Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Taoiseach Simon Harris, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and her deputy Emma Little-Pengelly demanding an inquiry into the killing and subsequent police investigation.
Mr Dooley said: “For many years the NUJ has marked the anniversary of the vile murder of Martin O’Hagan with calls for an independent investigation.
“Polite acknowledgements have not been followed up by action but we continue to demand an external investigation into the murder and the failure to properly investigate it.
“There are so many unanswered questions, so many issues which remain unresolved, despite the fact that the identity of those suspected of ordering and carrying out the assassination of Martin O'Hagan is well known, with names being published in the media with impunity.”
Mr O’Hagan, 51, was an investigative journalist and secretary of the Belfast and district branch of the NUJ.
“Since last year’s anniversary we have had a new Northern Ireland secretary, a new British prime minister, a new taoiseach along with a new first minister and deputy first minister.
“In that context, we are seeking support for a new investigation, led by an international figure and independent of those who have so far failed to properly investigate the murder.
“The strong suspicion of collusion with the security forces and the suggestion that the Police Service of Northern Ireland may have had prior knowledge of the plan to murder Martin O’Hagan must be thoroughly interrogated.
“The murder of Martin O’Hagan was a watershed moment for journalism in the UK and Ireland. The failure to properly investigate it has cast a long shadow and continues to embolden those who seek to silence journalists.”
