[Reader-list] Statement on Censorship and Violence against Press in Kashmir: Reporters Without Borders
S. Jabbar
sonia.jabbar at gmail.com
Tue Aug 26 14:59:40 IST 2008
Terrible, but this statement is again incomplete. No mention has been made
of the concerted attacks on journalists because they happen to have been
working for 'Indian' channels about 10 days ago.
An NDTV reporter had his personal vehicle damaged by an irate mob of young
men. When he tried to reason with them they said his reporting did not
match the 'news reports' of private cable-wallahs. There is a small cottage
industry in the Valley where private cable operators run their own news
channels. They are not accountable to anyone. The reports are often
unedited, highly inflammatory accounts of the day's happenings.
Three days ago a Srinagar newspaper distributor was threatened against
distributing a Jammu-based newspaper. The journalist who works for the
paper, a Kashmiri Muslim was also threatened. He has had to ask for
security for himself and his family. His newspaper has told him to stop
writing until things calm down. When I last spoke to him, the man had shut
his office and was staying home.
Censorship comes in all forms. Please be aware of the less dramatic but no
less virulent ones that also need to be soundly condemned.
On 8/25/08 11:46 PM, "Shuddhabrata Sengupta" <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>
Statement on Censorship and Violence against Press in Kashmir
Reporters
> Without Borders
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=28297
25 August
> 2008
Reporters Without Borders calls on the Indian authorities to put an
>
immediate stop to the censorship and violence against the media in
Kashmir
> that has been prompted by a wave of protests against Indian
rule. At least
> 13 journalists were beaten by police yesterday in
Srinagar, local TV
> stations are being censored and a curfew is making
it hard for newspapers to
> bring out their issues.
"This latest crisis in Indian Kashmir must not be
> used as a pretext
for subjecting the press to more violence and
> obstruction," Reporters
Without Borders said. "Journalists must have all the
> guarantees they
need, including permanent passes, to be able to work freely
> despite
the curfew. We also call on the police authorities to investigate
> the
violence by certain elements that have led to injuries in the ranks
of
> the press. If no sanctions are adopted, the door will be left open
for more
> abuses. Finally, we call for an end to the censorship of
local TV stations,
> which is a clear violation of the right of
Kashmiris to be informed."
At
> least 13 journalists were beaten by members of the Central Reserve
Police
> Force in Srinagar as they tried to get to their offices
yesterday despite
> the curfew introduced earlier in the day. The
journalists had passes issued
> on 11 August but the police members
said they were no long valid.
The
> injured journalists included Bilal Bhat, the Sahara Samay TV
station's
> bureau chief in Srinagar, who had several ribs broken, and
his cameraman,
> Muzaffar. Ajaz Ahmad of News X, Jehangir Aziz of ETV's
Urdu service and Amin
> War of The Tribune newspaper were also injured.
The curfew prevented the
> publication of regional newspapers today,
including the daily Greater
> Kashmir, which posted this message on its
website: "Due to unavoidable
> circumstances, the print edition of
Greater Kashmir will not be on the
> stands on 25 August. We regret the
inconvenience to our readers. This was
> the first time in the past
decade that GK staffers could not reach the
> office due to restrictions."
An Indian newspaper's correspondent in Srinagar
> told Reporters
Without Borders: "I had to go through 20 checkpoints to get
> to my
office and each time I was subjected to the same humiliation and the
>
same questions about my work as a journalist."
The authorities yesterday
> asked local TV stations not to broadcast
reports liable to "excite" the
> population until further order. TV
executives and editors were summoned and
> told it would be preferable
if they suspended news programmes and just
> broadcast entertainment.
The government claimed that reports broadcast by
> certain stations
violated the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act
> 1995.
It was on the basis of this law that a Srinagar judge yesterday
>
finally ordered the TV stations to suppress their news programmes and
just
> carry entertainment.
Groups of journalists responded by staging street
> demonstrations
against the violence and censorship. "Let the press work"
> said the
placard brandished by one Srinagar reporter.
Indian troops
> patrolling the streets of Srinagar and other cities in
the region today used
> megaphones to call on the population to stay at
home. Demonstrations planned
> by Kashmiri political parties have been
banned. Several demonstrators were
> shot dead for violating the curfew.
Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai
> Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media
> Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net
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