The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has called on Iraq to ensure that those responsible for the killing on 10 January of television reporters Saafaa Ghali and Ahmed Abdul Samad are brought to justice.
“I condemn the murder of television journalist Ahmed Abdul Samad and cameraman Safaa Ghali,” said the Director-General. “I call on the authorities to pursue investigations into these killings and ensure that their perpetrators are brought to trial. Targeted attacks on media workers present an intolerable threat to press freedom and to free and open debate.”
Ahmed Abdul Samad and Safaa Ghali, were shot while driving away from protests in the southern Iraqi city of Basra which they had been covering for Iraqi satellite television channel Dijlah TV.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
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See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists
Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 08 91