Kashmir Is a Prison for Journalists: RSF Report
Kashmir Is a Prison for Journalists: RSF Report
The report reveals that Asia was the second most dangerous region for journalists in 2023.
By RMN News Service
In India, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is now an independent journalism’s prison. This assessment has been made by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which defends freedom of journalists in all parts of the world.
In its 2023 annual report released on December 14, RSF says that since 2019, the J&K region (mainly Kashmir) has lost its political autonomy and is now administered by the central government’s Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, hostile to criticism from journalists.
The central government in India has been under the control of prime minister (PM) Narendra Modi since 2014. According to the RSF report, laws meant to combat terrorism are regularly used to silence criticism, with five journalists currently imprisoned in the Kashmir territory and 11 journalists killed in India in 2023.
The report reveals that Asia was the second most dangerous region for journalists in 2023, after the Middle East. In the past five years, Asia has seen more journalists killed in the exercise of their duties than any other region, totaling 73 journalists killed: 22 in Afghanistan, 14 in Pakistan, 12 in the Philippines, 11 in India, seven in Bangladesh, four in Myanmar, and three in China.
“Among civilians in Gaza, journalists are paying a heavy price. We’ve noted that the number of journalists killed in connection with their work is very high: at least 13 in such a tiny territory,” said Christophe Deloire, RSF Secretary-General.
According to the annual round-up compiled by RSF, the number of journalists killed worldwide in connection with their work is 45 as of 1 December 2023.
In Gaza, at least 13 journalists have been killed because of their work as journalists since the war began between Israel and Hamas, a total that rises to 56 if we include all journalists killed in the Gaza Strip, whether or not in the line of their work. Worldwide, according to RSF, 521 journalists are currently detained on arbitrary grounds linked to their profession (down 8.4% from 2022).
Headquartered in Paris, RSF says it has consultative status with the UN and UNESCO, has 13 international bureaus and sections, and has correspondents in more than 130 countries.
