The killing of Mrs Rosemary Nelson has been described as a "cowardly murder" by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson, who said she was shocked and saddened by the death of such a courageous human rights lawyer, whose life had been repeatedly threatened.
"Her death has sad echoes of the murder of Pat Finucane and comes at a particularly sensitive time in the peace process. The people of Northern Ireland must not allow this to deflect them from their determination to implement the peace agreement. Pursuing the road to peace and human rights is the greatest tribute they could pay to her memory," Mrs Robinson said.
Mr Ken Murphy, the director general of the Law Society of Ireland, said it extended its deepest sympathy to the family of Mrs Nelson. "When a solicitor is murdered for the work she did, it is an attack on the rule of law and on everyone protected by it," he said.
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Dr John Dixon, said Mrs Nelson's killing must be totally condemned. "The killers who carried out this evil murder are only interested in looking to the past and dragging us back to their ways of death and destruction that have achieved nothing. They must not be allowed to deflect those working towards a fair and reasonable accommodation in the interests of the overwhelming majority of people . . ."
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Right Rev Harold Miller, said: "I am deeply saddened that there are still coldly calculating people in our midst who are prepared to take the life of another human being."