The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, urged the authorities to investigate the killing of television reporter Javier Rodríguez Valladares, in Cancún, in the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, on 29 August.
“I condemn the murder of Javier Rodríguez Valladares,” said the Director-General. “I trust the authorities will investigate this crime, establish its possible link to Valladares’ professional activities, and bring its perpetrators to justice. Press freedom and informed debate cannot thrive when journalists live and work in fear.”
Javier Rodríguez Valladares, who worked for local television Canal 10, was shot in a street of a residential area of Cancún along with a second man, whose identity was not known at the time of writing.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
See also: UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists.
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 08 91