A new report by University of Ulster academics has accused the British government of turning a blind eye to "punishment" attacks in the North for reasons of political expediency.
The study, by Prof Colin Knox and Dr Rachel Monaghan, also found that "punishment" beatings had increased since the Provisional IRA and loyalist cease-fires of 1994, and that expulsions of individuals from the North by the paramilitaries were also rising.
The report, "Informal Criminal Justice Systems in Northern Ireland", was sponsored by the British Economic and Social Research Council.
It said that from 1973 to June 2000 there were 2,303 "punishment" shootings - 57 per cent by republicans and 43 per cent by loyalists. From 1982 to June 2000, there were 1,626 "punishment" beatings - 54 per cent by republicans and 46 per cent by loyalists.
However, the authors stated, these statistics might under-estimate the extent of the problem by as much as 30 to 50 per cent.
Victims were often reluctant to report attacks, they said, because they feared reprisals. The report claimed the Northern Ireland Office appeared indifferent to the problem unless an attack had political ramifications.
The Northern Ireland Office last night denied it was "indifferent" to "punishment" attacks.
It said "a series of unsubstantiated, generalised and politically tendentious assertions" had been made, and that successive Northern secretaries and security ministers had consistently condemned the attacks and had called for those with influence to end them.
The report stated that continuing paramilitary violence had the potential to derail the peace process. "There is an inextricable link between the beatings, shootings and exiling perpetrated by paramilitaries and the wider political agenda.
"The Mitchell principles of democracy and non-violence, to which all constitutional political parties subscribe, have been compromised in the interests of moving forward politically.
"The RUC Chief Constable has confirmed that the Provisional IRA, UDA and UVF, which have all declared ceasefires, are behind many of these attacks. At times, for the British government, it is easier to `see no evil, hear no evil' in relation to this violence".
The report also noted there were considerable inconsistencies in the severity of "punishments", with those connected to paramilitaries being exempt or treated with more leniency.
The Antrim man fatally stabbed in his flat early yesterday has been identified as Mr Joel Robert Tymon (18), from Sterling Street, Antrim town. His body was discovered in the Sterling Street complex at 1.40 a.m. The RUC has launched a murder investigation. A number of people have been arrested.