UNESCO condemns killing of Indian journalists


Details

Rebecca Hawkes

| 20 May 2016




UNESCO director general Irina Bokova has called for an investigation into the deaths of journalists Akhilesh Pratap Singh and Rajdev Ranjan, who were killed in separate attacks in India earlier this month.



UNESCOUnknown assailants shot Akhilesh Pratap Singh (also known as Indradev Yadav), a correspondent for Hindi language broadcaster Taaza TV on 12 May in the Chatra district of Jaharkhand in northeast India.

Rajdev Ranjan, senior reporter for Hindi daily newspaper Hindustan, was shot on Friday 13 May in Siwan in the central Indian state of Bihar.

“I condemn the murders of Akhilesh Pratap Singh and Rajdev Ranjan,” said Bokova. “I call on the authorities to investigate these killings to prevent impunity for crimes against freedom of expression and freedom of information from taking root.”

Bokova’s declaration comes after the Press Council of India called upon the Government to ensure security of news correspondents in their line of duty.

UNESCO Member States adopted Resolution 29, which condemns violence against journalists, at the Organisation’s General Conference in 1997.