The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova today voiced deep concern about the safety of journalists in Somalia following the killing of Liban Abdullahi Farah on 7 July.
“I condemn the murder of Liban Abdullahi Farah,” the Director-General said. “This killing marks another black day for journalists trying to carry out their professional duties in Somalia. All too many media workers in the country have paid with their lives for our right to be kept informed. I pay tribute to their dedication and call on the authorities to spare no effort to stop these killings.”
Liban Abdullahi Farah, a reporter for Bossasso-based Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and London-based Kalsan TV, was killed when three unidentified assailants opened fire on him in the Barahley neighborhood of Galkayo town.
This killing brings to four the number of journalists killed in Somalia this year. They are remembered on the dedicated webpage, UNESCO Condemns Killing of Journalists.
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, +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…”