The British Irish Rights Watch has sent a report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Mr Abid Hussain, over the British Ministry of Defence's attempts to ban an Ulster Television programme.
UTV's Insight documentary "Following Orders", which examines the activities of the British army's intelligence unit, the Force Research Unit, was due to be broadcast on April 24th. Injunctions taken out by the MoD prevented the broadcast.
The report, "Shooting the Messenger", argues that UTV and various newspapers should not have been prevented from reporting the unit's alleged involvement in targeting people for assassination. The BIRW has called for a public inquiry into the activities of the unit.
A former RUC detective sergeant, Mr Jonty Brown, claimed in an interview on the UTV Insight programme broadcast last night that the RUC special branch attempted to block an investigation into a loyalist who admitted responsibility for killing Belfast solicitor Mr Pat Finucane in 1989.