Tuesday 25 August 2009

'Bring journalist's killers to justice'

Press freedom groups are urging that the killers who yesterday shot dead Janullah Hashimzada, a freelance reporter and Pajhwok Afghan News correspondent, in Pakistan's lawless tribal region of Khyber, be brought to justice.
“We offer our condolences to Janullah Hashimzada’s family and friends,” Reporters Without Borders said. “His murder highlights the sharp decline in the security situation in Pakistan, especially in the western Tribal Areas, where journalists are less and less free to move about.”
RWB added: “We urge the authorities to investigate this targeted killing properly with the aim of identifying its perpetrators and instigators and bringing them to justice. The impunity prevailing in the region must be combated.”
Robert Mahoney, deputy director of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said:"Pakistani security forces must thoroughly investigate Janullah Hashimzada's murder. The government must combat the risks local and international journalists face in this volatile region by prosecuting those who carry out targeted attacks against them."
Pakistan ranks 10th in the world among countries in which journalists are murdered with impunity, according to CPJ's Impunity Index.

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