As we approach the 25th anniversary of journalist Martin O’Hagan’s murder, his family say there should be ‘no more excuses’ for not publishing a report into the police investigation.

Mr O’Hagan was killed as he walked home after a night out in Lurgan on September 28, 2001. The LVF was suspected of his murder.

-

Martin O'Hagan was an Irish investigative journalist from Lurgan. He was gunned down as he walked home with his wife on September 28, 2001.

-

Despite pleas from his family, the NI Police Ombudsman has not released the report which probed the police investigation into his murder.

With a new Police Ombudsman, Jacqui Durkin, appointed in June, it was hoped she would release the report which was completed in 2024.

Mr O’Hagan’s brother Fintan, Amnesty International and the National Union of Journalists have all been calling for its publication.

A spokesperson for the NI Police Ombudsman said this week: “The Police Ombudsman has been in contact with the O’Hagan family and assured them that the completion of the public statement is one of her early priorities.

"She is actively reviewing the draft public statement and will provide the family with a publication timeline in due course.”

However Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International said releasing the Martin O’Hagan report should be the new Ombudsman’s first item of business.

Earlier last month, Mr O’Hagan’s brother Fintan revealed he had been advised by the Chief Executive of OPONI, Hugh Hume, that although the report had been completed, it would not be released until the appointment of a new Ombudsman.

Fintan O’Hagan said: “We first brought our concerns about the police investigation to the Police Ombudsman when Nuala O’Loan was in office – that’s how long we have been waiting.

“We have been repeatedly told that the investigation was complete, only for publication to be delayed.

"With Jacqui Durkin now in post, there can be no more excuses not to publish.

“In our view, the police investigation was clearly seriously flawed. We need the Ombudsman’s report and then we must have an independent public inquiry.”

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International’s Head of Nations and Regions, said: “Releasing the Martin O’Hagan report should be the new Police Ombudsman’s first item of business. The O’Hagan family have already waited far too long.

“Nearly 25 years on, the murder of Martin O’Hagan remains a stark reminder of the dangers faced by journalists in NI.

“A quarter of a century after he was shot dead, NI remains the most dangerous part of the UK in which to be a journalist.

“The investigation into his murder failed to deliver justice. Charges initially brought against suspects were abandoned, nobody has been held responsible, and publication of the Police Ombudsman’s report has been delayed time and again.”

Niall Murphy, Fintan’s lawyer, said: “Our clients have awaited the publication of this report since the referral of the case to PONI by the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2013.

“Two years ago, we were told that the report was complete, yet it still remains to be published.

“Our clients have very serious concerns as to the failure by police to secure the convictions of those who carried out Martin’s brutal murder. Our clients have long-standing concerns that state agents may have been protected from prosecution.”

An Amnesty report published in 2025, Occupational Hazard? Threats and violence against journalists in NI, documented how journalists continue to be regularly subjected to violence and threats, including death threats.