Mr. E. K. Nayanar
Chief Minister of Kerala
Government Secretariat
Trivandrum, Kerala
India

Vienna, 17 June 1998

The International Press Institute (IPI) the global network of editors and media executives, condemns the brutal attack on a group of journalists in Kerala, India, on 16 June.

We are informed that four journalists, including two photographers, were hospitalized with serious injuries after they were attacked at the additional District Court in Kollam by activists of the ruling Marxist Communist Party (CPM). We understand that the police stayed away from the court premises until the attack was over.

The hospitalized journalists are Tony Dominic of the daily Malayala Monorama; Josey George of the daily Deepika; Chandra Bose of the daily Mathrubhumi; and P. Manoj, also of the Mathrubhumi. The journalists had been at the court to report on the verdict in a double murder case in which CPM activists were charged with the murder of two political opponents. The court found three of the accused guilty of the offence.

The attack on the journalists began when the photographers tried to take pictures of the accused as they were brought to the court under police escort. The crowd outside the court seized the cameras from the photographers and destroyed them, brutally beating both the photographers and the reporters who tried to rescue them.

IPI is most concerned about the threat to press freedom posed by this attack, which appears to have been premeditated. We therefore urge that you authorise an immediate and full investigation into the incident and that those responsible are brought to justice. We further urge that all possible steps are taken to protect the safety of journalists working in Kerala.

We thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Johann P. Fritz
Director