The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today voiced deep concern over the killing of Honduran journalist Juan Carlos Argeñal Medina on 07December.
I condemn the murder of Juan Carlos Argeñal Medina,” the Director-General said. “This killing is not just a crime against an individual but a crime also against the society as a whole. Every country should enjoy a free press in which journalists and media owners are allowed to exercise independence in collecting and reporting news without fearing for violent reprisals.
” Juan Carlos Argeñal Medina, 43, was shot dead in his home in the city of Danlí (El Paraíso province). He was the owner of the television station Vida Televisión and a correspondent for the Hondura’s Globo television network.
This year, the Director-General condemned the killing of three journalists in Honduras, including Argeñal.
These cases are recorded on the 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…”