Denouncing the murder of Shujaat Bukhari, the late editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir, and his security officers, the South Asia Media Defenders Network (SAMDEN) has called upon the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to take swift action to push investigation into the killings.

“Bukhari’s murder highlights the growing dangers of being a journalist, and also the impunity with which threats, attacks and murders have been carried out,” Sanjoy Hazaika, International Director of CHRI said in letters to the NHRC chair Justice H.L. Dattu, the SHRC as well as to David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression.

“SAMDEN, cognizant of the increasing attacks on media workers and professionals, and pressures on freedom of speech and expression calls upon the central and the state governments to take necessary steps to ensure safety and security for all journalists in India,” the statement added.

Bukhari, a leading journalistic voice in Jammu and Kashmir, had been under police protection since 2000. He was described as a “rare voice of moderation and reason” and an advocate for peace and justice in a public discourse that has tended to locate itself in ideological extremes.

SAMDEN is an informal association of independent editors and media practitioners, anchored in the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI).