Unesco condemns Indian newspaper editor's murder

Paris, June 19 (IANS/AKI) Unesco chief Audrey Azoulay on Tuesday condemned the slaying of prominent journalist and newspaper editor Shujaat Bukhari and his two police bodyguards in Indian-administered Kashmir last week.

"I condemn the murder of Shujaat Bukhari and his bodyguards," said Azoulay, the Director-General of United Nations culture organisation.

"I trust the authorities will spare no effort in seeking and prosecuting the killers who were undeterred by the presence of police in their determination to silence a journalist known as a voice of moderation."

Bukhari, editor of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot by unidentified gunmen as he was leaving his office in Srinagar on June 14. The two police guards escorting him were also killed in the attack.

Bukhari had been under police protection since an earlier attack in 2000.

Kashmir is at the centre of a decades-old territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and control different parts of it.

India has also been battling armed militant groups who are fighting against New Delhi's rule in Kashmir. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people over the years.

Bukhari lobbied for peace in Kashmir in by organising conferences and summits in the US, Britain and other parts of the world.

--IANS/AKI

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