The Right Honourable Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi, India

15 June 2018

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries, to express our grave concern at the murder of journalist and editor, Shujaat Bukhari.

According to reports, on 14 June Mr Bukhari, editor of the daily Rising Kashmir and one of the region’s best-known journalists, was shot several times by unidentified gunmen as he got into his car outside his office in Srinagar, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Two police bodyguards who were escorting him were also shot and killed. Mr Bukhari, who provided an unusually moderate voice on the subject of Kashmir, had been receiving police protection since 2000, when he was the target of an earlier attack.

The motive for Mr Bukhari’s murder is not yet known but it came during a ceasefire for Ramadan that he had encouraged in his writing.

At least six journalists have been murdered with complete impunity in direct retaliation for their work in Jammu and Kashmir since 1992. We respectfully remind you that it is the responsibility of the state to provide conditions in which journalists are able to carry out their work free from violence.

We ask that you take all necessary steps to ensure that local and national authorities carry out a quick and thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators - and masterminds - to justice. We urge you to do everything possible to end the hostile media environment in Jammu and Kashmir so that journalists are able to work without fear of violence.

We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Golden
President
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

David Callaway
President
World Editors Forum 

WAN-IFRA is the global organization for the world’s newspapers and news publishers, with formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The organization groups 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.