The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the killing of journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea in the capital of northern Mexican state Chihuahua on 23 March 2017.
“I condemn the murder of Miroslava Breach Velducea,” said the Director-General. “The use of violence to silence reporting is unacceptable. Fear and hostility are tools of those who wish to curb freedom of expression. Journalists are at the forefront of defending the universal fundamental rights that benefit society, as a whole. The perpetrator of this crime should not remain unpunished.”
Miroslava Breach Velducea, a Chihuahua based reporter for the national newspaper La Jornada, was shot while leaving her home in her car. She died of her injuries on the way to hospital.
The Director-General of UNESCO issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States at the Organization’s General Conference of 1997, entitled “Condemnation of Violence against Journalists.” These statements are posted on a dedicated webpage, UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists.
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 42 12
UNESCO is the 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 the Organization is requested 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…”