New Delhi: Danish Siddiqui’s parents have looked for answers to their son’s death in New York, London and New Delhi. But two years after the photojournalist was killed in Kandahar on 16 July 2021 while covering the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan for the news agency Reuters, they are still in the dark. They don’t know how he landed this assignment to cover the war, and what led to his death.
His family is seeking answers from Reuters about what kind of risk assessment was followed by the news agency before sending him to Afghanistan.
“We have asked a number of questions from them [Reuters] regarding the incident—how it happened, how he was deputed, how his risk assessment was done before sending him forward,” his father Akhtar Siddiqui told ThePrint.
The family claims they first reached Reuters headquarters in New York on the day of Danish’s death. But they had to move their appeals to Reuters’ UK office later. They allege that the news organisation’s US office skirted their questions, citing protection under the legal provision of ‘reporters’ privilege’ in the country.
The UK does not have a similar law. But here, too, they hit a wall.
“Initially, Reuters promised that they would share everything with us. But then our every effort to get any answers from them was stonewalled,” said Omar Siddiqui, Danish’s younger brother.
In a report published on its website, Reuters said it is conducting internal and external reviews of the events surrounding Danish’s death. ThePrint has reached out to Reuters with questions. This copy will be updated when they respond.
Through their lawyers in Delhi and in the UK, the family filed a case against Reuters in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of Justice in London this year.
“We are asking all those questions because, still, nobody is answering anything clearly,” said Akhtar.
Also Read: Danish Siddiqui’s parents hold Taliban leaders ‘criminally liable’ for son’s murder, to move ICC
Torture, not crossfire
When Danish’s bag arrived from Afghanistan, a few days after he was killed, it had a box of half-eaten tikiya (energy bars) his mother had made for him.
“I spoke to him at length on 14 July. He told me that he had not found any food for the last 48 hours and that he was surviving on the bars his mother made him. Some remains of those were kept in a small bag, along with a half-eaten bar,” recalled Akhtar.
Soon after his death, speculation on social media and reports coming in from Afghanistan sources suggested that Danish, who was accompanying Afghan Special Forces, was killed in the crossfire with the Taliban in Spin Boldak in Kandahar.
However, independent medical and other forensic evidence from doctors in Afghanistan and human rights organisations indicated that Danish had been detained and tortured. Media reported that his body had 12 bullet entry and exit points, but his bulletproof jacket had no bullet marks. It appeared that after he was killed, his body was run over by a heavy vehicle.
The Taliban agreed to hand over his body to the ICRC (International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement) after many requests. But when it arrived in a local Afghan hospital, it was so badly desecrated that it could not be identified, reported Al Jazeera.
In March 2022, Danish’s family moved the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Taliban for war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the same time, they have been seeking closure from Reuters.
At the foundation’s awards ceremony, Akhtar refuted initial claims made by Reuters that Danish was killed in the crossfire.
“It’s a lie that Danish was killed in the crossfire. After he was captured, he was hit on the head many times. Then he was shot 12 times before his body was crushed with a Humvee,” he said.
Danish had reached Afghanistan on 1 July, and for the next 10 days, he was reporting on how many civilians were selling their land for cheap and fleeing the country as the Taliban was taking over. This, Akhtar said, was a part of his larger project on migration.
He added that Danish was told by his office to move to Spin Boldak on 11 July.
Also Read: Reuters probe into Danish Siddiqui death raises questions on how it handles dangerous assignments
Reuters’ version
A month after Danish’s death, Reuters published its own investigation into how the events unfolded in Afghanistan on its website. The agency claims that the decision to send Danish to the front lines in Afghanistan was taken by a group of senior editors, vetted by external advisors and newsroom managers who handled security. It was reviewed by top editors who “regularly meet to consider potentially dangerous assignments”.
“That group, which includes Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni, Executive Editor Gina Chua, who oversees security, and John Pullman, the global managing editor for visuals, signed off on the embed with US-trained Afghan Special Forces,” read the report.
It listed his experience in covering crisis events from the frontlines. Danish had two previous assignments that included two embeds with soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was trained to report in dangerous environments and always had the option to leave the assignment midway. But he decided to stay on, according to the investigative report.
“Siddiqui, who had covered wars, mob violence and refugee crises, reassured the friend that Reuters had done a risk assessment before he embedded with the Special Forces. Reuters editors and managers have responsibility for approving or rejecting risky assignments and have the authority to end them. Journalists, too, have the option of withdrawing from the field,” the Reuters article read.
Three days before his death, when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his Humvee, he texted a concerned friend that he knew “when to pull the plug”.
Also Read: 4 journalists ‘murdered’ in India for their work in 2021, most in world, says media watchdog
Still waiting
Calling his son a real hero who covered conflicts with a humanitarian lens, Akhtar recalled how long and painful the journey has been for the family to seek closure from the company, with which Danish was associated since 2010.
He joined Reuters as an intern in Delhi and moved to Mumbai soon after. Danish returned to Delhi in 2019 as the agency’s chief photographer for India. In his long stint with the organisation, he bagged two Pulitzers for his reportage besides several other prestigious awards globally.
A mentor to younger photographers and father to two children, Danish was close to his family and had long conversations about his work with them. His death shook not just the media fraternity, but also several political figures who had promised to help Akhtar uncover the truth.
“After Danish’s death, Ashraf Ghani (former President of Afghanistan) also called me and consoled me. He also promised me that he would do a lot for Danish. But till today, we are fighting. We have approached the ICC…We have asked countless questions to Reuters. But we have received no answers yet. In fact, they even misbehave with us, and we are tolerating,” said Akhtar at the award ceremony.
The family’s hope is now pinned on the UK court case.
“Danish was Reuters India head. He had all the employment documents with him. That is what enabled us to move the UK court. If Reuters could do this to a two-time Pulitzer-winning photojournalist, I wonder what would happen to others,” said Omar.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)