The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today deplored the death of Kennedy Germain Mumbere Muliwavyo, a television reporter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was fatally injured on 15 February while covering fighting in North Kivu province.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Kennedy Germain Mumbere Muliwavyo,” the Director-General said. “It is essential for media companies to ensure that the journalists they send to battle zones receive adequate physical and psychological training for their self-protection.”
Kennedy Germain Mumbere Muliwavyo, a journalist for Radio Télévision Muungano d’Oïcha, was travelling in a DRC military vehicle which was attacked by a Ugandan rebel group. He died from his injuries on 16 February.
He is remembered on the dedicated web page, UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists.
****
Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray(at)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…”