The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has called for an investigation into the killing of television reporter and cameraman Carlos Oveniel Lara Domínguez in Copán, western Honduras, on 23 October.
“I condemn the killing of Carlos Oveniel Lara Domínguez and urge the authorities to investigate this crime and bring its perpetrators to trial,” said the Director-General. “Violence against the media must not go unpunished as it undermines freedom of expression, prevents journalists from doing their work, induces some to practice self-censorship, and deprives society from its right to access information.”
Unknown assailers shot Carlos Oveniel Lara Domínguez on his way to Canal 12 Telemaya, the television broadcaster for which he worked as a reporter and camera operator.
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…”