<
 
 
 
 
×
>
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 19:45:37 Dec 14, 2015, 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 The information on this web page may be out of date.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

UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL CONDEMNS UPSURGE IN VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS

Paris, June 19 {No.98-135} - UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor has condemned the assassination of journalist Larissa Yudina in the Russian Autonomous Republic of Kalmykya and declared that there was a growing need to defend freedom of expression in the face of rising violence against journalists which, since the start of this year, has claimed the lives of 19 press-people.

Mr Mayor condemned these murders, carried out to prevent journalists from exercising their profession and the fact that their perpetrators are seldom brought to trial.

Speaking at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Mr Mayor said: “The need for UNESCO to defend freedom of expression is greater than ever, as the growing number of journalist murders during the year of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proves.”

Mr Mayor further stated: “UNESCO takes the view that there can be no true democracy without freedom of expression and that there can be no freedom of expression while journalists are threatened. Therefore, in the spirit of Resolution 29, unanimously adopted by UNESCO’s 29th General Conference in November 1997, our Organization wishes to reaffirm its condemnation of all forms of physical violence directed at journalists as crimes against society. UNESCO is ready to combat the impunity which frequently surrounds these crimes against journalists.

“I specifically appeal to the authorities of the Russian Federation to employ all necessary means to identify the culprits and bring them to justice,” Mr Mayor said, adding: “Every blow to freedom of expression and press freedom is a blow to democracy. There is a compelling need to safeguard journalists from violence and UNESCO will act whenever and wherever it can to promote the freedom, pluralism and independence of the media.”

****



(Re-)Load UNESCOPRESS On-line







WELCOME TO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNESCO UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION UNITED NATIONS EDUCATION SCIENCE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION OKAY