<
 
 
 
 
×
>
You are viewing an archived web page, collected at the request of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) using Archive-It. This page was captured on 19:13:53 Oct 02, 2021, and is part of the UNESCO collection. The information on this web page may be out of date. See All versions of this archived page.
Loading media information hide
Press release

Director-General condemns killing of television journalist Chennakeshavalu in India

12/08/2021

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called for an investigation into the killing of broadcaster Chennakeshavalu in Nandyal, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India, on 8 August. 

I condemn the murder of Chennakeshavalu. I trust the authorities will spare no effort in investigating this killing and establishing whether the journalist was targeted for his reporting. Impunity must not be allowed to embolden the use of violence to restrict freedom of expression and the public’s right to access information.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General

Chennakeshavalu, a journalist for local news channel EV5-TV, was stabbed by a police officer and his brother. According to the police, the journalist had aired a report in which he accused his alleged killer of involvement in illegal gambling and tobacco sales. Witnesses took the journalist to hospital where died from his injuries. The suspected killers have been arrested.

UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.