Unesco Condemns Killing of Tripura Scribe Sudip Datta Bhowmik

Sudip Datta Bhowmik was shot dead on 21 Nov – he is the second journalist to be killed in Tripura in 2 months.

United Nations culture organisation Unesco, on 28 November, condemned the killing of Indian journalist Sudip Dutta Bhaumik, calling it "the ultimate form of censorship" and urging his killer to be brought to justice.

Journalists make a fundamental contribution to society by providing information which nurtures enlightened public debate... The assassination of journalists is the ultimate form of censorship. The prosecution of such crimes is essential to deter attacks against the media.

Audrey Azoulay, Unesco chief

Bhaumik was a senior reporter for Bengali-language daily, the Syandan Patrika and local television, Venguard. He was shot dead on 21 November near Agartala, by one of the bodyguards of an Army officer he was scheduled to meet.

Bhaumik's killing – the second murder of a journalist in Tripura in the past two months – caused a furore in the state and has raised concerns over the freedom of the press.

Unesco Condemns the Killing of Ikechukwu Onubogu

Azoulay also denounced the killing of a Nigerian photographer, and called for an investigation into the incident. "I condemn the killing of Ikechukwu Onubogu," she said.

Onubogu’s body was found in Obosi town in the state of Anambras on 15 November. Neither his family nor his colleagues at Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) had seen or heard from Onubogu since he had left home in the afternoon of 12 November.

"The perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice in order to preserve freedom of expression, enshrined in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights," Azoulay said.

"Governments must also protect journalists," she added.

(This article has been published in an arrangement with IANS)

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