The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, today condemned the deadly terrorist attack in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on 16 November. Afghan cameraman Hussain Nazari was among 20 people who died in the attack.
“I condemn the attack that killed Hussain Nazari and 19 others, and wounded reporter Taqi Sadid,” said the Director General. “We are once again reminded of the risks faced by media workers the world over. I call on the authorities to ensure an effective judicial enquiry into this case.”
Hussain Nazari, a cameraman for the Rah-e-Farda TV station and his colleague, Taqi Sadid, were covering a political meeting in Kabul when a bomb exploded. Gravely wounded, Hussain Nazari succumbed to his injuries in hospital the following day.
In the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution of UNESCO, the Director-General of the Organization issues statements on violations of press freedoms condemning the killing of media workers, in line with its action to take forward the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. 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…”