Paris, 7 August—The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of two Iraqi journalists, reporter Harb Hazaa al-Dulaimi and cameraman Soudad al-Douri, whose bodies were found in the village of Imam Gharbi south of Mosul on 20 July.
“I condemn the killing of Harb Hazaa al-Dulaimi and Soudad al-Douri,” said the Director-General. “Their death is a terrible reminder of the unacceptable toll paid by courageous media workers dedicated to keeping us informed. Targeting of journalists in conflict situations is an intolerable war crime, recognized as such by the Geneva Conventions.”
Both men were reportedly killed on 7 July while covering fighting for Iraqi TV channel Hona Salaheddinon.
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