The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on December 1 condemned paramilitary death threats against two Northern Irish reporters, highlighting dangers to the press in the province where a correspondent was slain last year.

Two journalists working for the Sunday World newspaper were contacted by police last weekend over “imminent threats” of attack from loyalist paramilitaries including the West Belfast Ulster Defence Association, the IFJ said in a statement.

One journalist was alerted by police in the middle of the night while another has been issued with a “shoot to kill threat and is also at risk of entrapment and attack”, the Brussels-based industry organisation said.

IFJ secretary-general Anthony Bellanger said: “We condemn these attacks which seek to suppress independent reporting in a democracy.

“Those responsible for these threats must be identified and held to account in the interest of press freedom.”

Northern Ireland was the site of “The Troubles”, a 30-year-long sectarian conflict between loyalist and republican paramilitaries, and British security forces.

Some 3,500 were killed in violence over British rule of the province.