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OTHER JOURNALISTS working in Northern Ireland have been warned of threats against them, including a shoot-to-kill, by loyalist paramilitaries.
The reporters, who work for the Northern Ireland edition of the Sunday World newspaper, were contacted by the police and informed of the latest threats.
It comes days after it was revealed that a journalist working for the Belfast Telegraph had been threatened by a loyalist paramilitary group.
The separatist South East Antrim UDA (Ulster Defense Association) was being linked to that threat, following a series of similar incidents earlier this year.
In the latest reports released on Saturday, Amnesty International said that it had learned of two separate threats made by the UDA against one of the Sunday World journalists, including a death threat that was reportedly planned for the next few years. days.
Patrick Corrigan, Director of the Amnesty program in Northern Ireland, condemned the latest threats and called on the PSNI to “get hold of” the problem before someone dies.
The journalists have been named in several “threatening posts on social media” and both have been threatened on previous occasions, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said.
One was contacted in the middle of the night by police and alerted to a threat, while the other was issued a shoot-to-kill threat and is also at risk of being caught and attacked, the union said.
Seamus Dooley, NUJ Deputy Secretary General, said: “Once again NUJ members have received serious threats from loyalist paramilitaries and criminals trying to silence journalism in Northern Ireland.
“These attempts to intimidate journalists must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“We welcome the fact that interested journalists have received the full support of their employer. The protection of journalists and the active persecution of those who threaten the media is essential for the functioning of a democratic society.
“The PSNI is fully committed to both journalists and we hope that everything possible will be done to ensure the continued safety of our members, their families and their colleagues.”
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Corrigan said: “Journalists in Northern Ireland, particularly those investigating criminal activities and illegal paramilitaries, now operate in a climate of fear.
“Now almost daily chilling threats are made against journalists.
“However, no one is being arrested, no one is being held accountable. Emboldened by this apparent impunity, those responsible have redoubled their efforts to intimidate the media.
“The police must control this problem before another journalist loses his life.”
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