JFA expresses concern over killing of journalists

The forum also appealed to the world media fraternity to be united in demanding justice for all slain media persons across the globe.

Media reports from Mosul, the second important city of Iraq after Baghdad, reveals that an Iraqi lady print journalist  named Suha Ahmed Radi was beheaded after being detained for several days by the terrorist outfit. 

Two more young Syrian media activists namely Bashar Abdul Atheem and Faisal Hasan al-Habib were also executed by the ISIS at Raqqa of Syria in the last few days.

All three media persons were accused of spying for the authority and propagating reforms in Islam under the Shariah laws, imposed by the ISIS in both the countries since last year. It may be mentioned that in Mosul alone, the ISIS executed 14 Iraqi journalists since June 2014.

According to the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists,  36 journalists have been killed around the world this year till today.

India lost two journalists  (Jagendra Singh and Sandeep Kothari) to assailants  and its neighbour  Bangladesh recorded three incidents of slaughtering of bloggers namely Ananta Bijoy Das, Washiqur Rahman Babu and Avijit Roy in this period.

Other deadliest countries till the middle of July 2015 include France (8), South Sudan (5), Syria (4), Yemen (4), Iraq (3), Pakistan (1), Brazil (2), Guatemala (1), Ukraine ( 1), Democratic Republic of the Congo (1), Mexico (1) etc.

“The United Nations should take strong note of the relentless killing of journalists around the world and adopt strategies to counter the persistent threat over the newsmen in the name of religious laws,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary Nava Thakuria adding that the scribes based in different corners of the globe must rise for the occasion with an aim to create a tolerant world for critical journalism in the coming days.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath, Photo: UNESCO)