Slain Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui's Kin To Take Legal Action Against Taliban

Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Kandahar.

38-year-old Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in the Boldak district of Kandahar.

(Photo: The Quint) 

The family of Danish Siddiqui, the slain photojournalist who was killed while covering the war in Afghanistan in July last year, said on Monday, 21 March, that they will take legal action against the Taliban on 22 March.

Thirty-eight-year-old Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in the Boldak district of Kandahar.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist's family said in a statement, "On Tuesday, Danish Siddiqui's parents Akhtar Siddiqui and Shahida Akhtar will initiate legal action to investigate his killing and bring to justice those responsible, including high-level commanders and leaders of the Taliban."

While the statement did not mention the nature of legal action the family would take, it is assumed that they will move the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Afghan insurgent group.

A resident of New Delhi, Siddiqui was an Economics graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia. He also pursued a degree in Mass Communication from Jamia's AJK Mass Communication Research Centre.

Formerly a TV journalist, Siddiqui joined Reuters as an intern in 2010, and subsequently embarked on a series of challenging assignments for the news agency.