Ms Rosemary Nelson's murder has echoes of the killing 10 years ago of Mr Pat Finucane, who was shot 14 times by two masked gunmen at his home in north Belfast. Mr Finucane, like Mrs Nelson, was a prominent lawyer who had been involved in several high-profile cases on behalf of nationalist clients.
Nobody has been charged with the murder of Mr Finucane (39). The Ulster Freedom Fighters, a UDA cover name, later admitted responsibility. There have been sustained allegations of security force collusion in the murder.
The most recent report alleging collusion has been forwarded to the UN. Compiled by the London-based human rights group, British-Irish Rights Watch, it concluded that RUC members and the Force Research Unit (FRU), a branch of British military intelligence, "closely and actively colluded" in Mr Finucane's murder.
Last month, Mr Finucane's family demanded an international independent inquiry into the case. The call has been supported by 1,100 lawyers in Britain, Ireland and across the world, who have signed a petition.
His widow, Geraldine, said: "The intention of those who murdered Pat was to silence him forever. The petition and the report into the death have broken that silence."
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, has been presented with a copy of the report. She said the Government had already urged that serious consideration be given to a call by the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Mr Param Cumaraswamy, for an independent inquiry. The Government welcomed support for an inquiry offered by lawyers and non-governmental organisations, such as Amnesty International.
The General Council of the Bar in Northern Ireland is supporting Mr Cumaraswamy's call.
Mr Cumaraswamy's report, which has been presented to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, referred to "information that seriously calls into question whether there was official collusion" in Mr Finucane's shooting.
He said in an interview in October 1997 that only 20 of the North's 1,400 solicitors act for the defence in politically sensitive cases and they did so "very courageously."
However, last April the British government ruled out a judicial inquiry, saying there was no justification for such an inquiry in the absence of new evidence. The NIO said there had already been a police inquiry and a separate investigation under Chief Constable John Stevens of the events surrounding the killing, and the North's DPP had concluded there was insufficient evidence to warrant prosecution for murder.
After the inquest into Mr Finucane's death in September 1990, Mrs Finucane claimed her husband had been "set up" by the RUC and the Home Office Minister, Mr Douglas Hogg, who said a month before the murder that some Northern Ireland solicitors were unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA.
Mr Hogg's remarks at the time caused considerable controversy and lawyers called for a judicial inquiry into the background to this claim.