Director-General condemns murder of photographer Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez

Paris, 27 February

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koďchiro Matsuura, today condemned the murder of Mexican news photographer Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez in an attack on 13 February that left another journalist, Yenni Yuliana Marchán Arroyo, seriously injured. Mr Matsuura called for the culprits to be brought to justice.

“I condemn the attack that left Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez dead and Yenni Yuliana Marchán Arroyo injured,” the Director-General declared. “I trust that the authorities will do all they can to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime against democracy and rule of law.”

Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez, of El Correo newspaper and Yenni Yuliana Marchán Arroyo, of the Diario 21 newspaper were riding a motorcycle on their way to cover a car accident in Iguala, Guerrero, southeastern Mexico, when they were shot. Both reporters fell to the ground, at which point one of the assailants shot Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez again and killed him. Yenni Yuliana Marchán Arroyo was reported to have been seriously injured.

This attack brings to four the number of Mexican journalists killed since January 2008, according to Reporters Without Borders.

UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom. Article 1 of its Constitution requires the Organization to “further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.” To realize this purpose the Organization is required to “collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of peoples, through all means of mass communication and to that end recommend such international agreements as may be necessary to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image…”

• Author(s):Press Release N°2009-16
• Source:UNESCOPRESS
• 27-02-2009