World Association of News Publishers


Protest Campaign - India, 21 June 2011

Protest Campaign - India, 21 June 2011

Article ID:

13501

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

Office of the Prime Minister

New Delhi, India

                                                                                                           21 June 2011

 

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 serious concern at the murder of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey in Mumbai.

According to reports, Mr. Dey, a journalist and special investigations editor with the afternoon daily Midday, was shot dead on the afternoon of June 11 as he rode his motorcycle home in the Powai district of Mumbai. He was reportedly followed by four men on two motorcycles who shot him eight times in the head and chest. Mr. Dey often reported on organized crime and had recently received threatening phone calls after publishing a series of articles about the “Oil Mafia” and the illicit trade in diesel fuel.

We are seriously concerned that during the past 20 years 43 journalists have been murdered in your country, and respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide an environment in which journalists are able to carry out their professional duties without fear of violence.

We call on you to take all necessary steps to ensure that the investigation into the murder of Mr. Dey is carried out in a thorough and impartial manner and that those responsible are quickly brought to justice. We ask you to do everything in your power to ensure the safety of journalists.

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

Yours sincerely,

 

Gavin O’Reilly

President

World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

 

Erik Bjerager

President

World Editors Forum

 

cc:

Home Minister P. Chidambaram

Governor of Maharashtra Mr. K. Sankaranarayanan

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr. Prithviraj Chavan.

Author

Rodrigo Bonilla's picture

Rodrigo Bonilla

Date

2011-06-22 16:52

Author information

Media employees worldwide face physical violence and persecution of all kinds, whether from public officials, criminals or terrorists. Assaults are daily - and often deadly - for those who challenge governments, report on conflicts or investigate corruption and crime. Read more ...

In countless countries, journalists, editors and publishers are physically attacked, imprisoned, censored, suspended or harassed for their work. WAN-IFRA is committed to defending freedom of expression by promoting a free and independent press around the world. Read more ...