The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission today called for an independent, international judicial inquiry into the murder of loyalist Billy Wright inside the Maze Prison.
The Loyalist Volunteer Force chief was shot by republicans days after Christmas 1997 when he was being put into a van in a loyalist compound to be taken to the visiting area.
Two members of the Irish National Liberation Army, who were also imprisoned in the Maze outside Lisburn, Co Antrim, were later sentenced to life for the murder.
The Human Rights Commission said it was calling for the independent, international, public, judicial inquiry into the murder after a close examination of the killing and recent case law.
It said it believed such an inquiry was "the process most likely to arrive at the truth as to what actually happened on the day of the murder and as to the relevant surrounding circumstances".
Even though there had been convictions some relevant facts had not been established, the commission said.
"In particular, it has not yet been established how the gun used to kill Mr Wright was brought into the Maze Prison, nor how the killers were able to gain access to the area where Mr Wright was killed without being detected," it said.
PA