UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the killing of journalist Pu Tuidim, who was executed along with at least nine other civilians. His body was found on 9 January in Matupi township, in western Myanmar.
I condemn the killing of Pu Tuidim along with so many other civilians. I call for an independent investigation of this brutal crime and for all parties to respect the civilian status of journalists and let them carry out their important professional activities in safe conditions, in accordance with the Geneva Convention and its Protocols.
Pu Tuidim, founder and editor of the local Khonumthung Media Group, is reported to have been abducted with at least nine other civilians by members of the armed forces two days before their killing. He was covering violent clashes in the area, and had recently published allegations of abuses carried out by the armed forces.
Pu Tuidim is the third journalist to be killed in Myanmar in just over three weeks.
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.
See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists
Media contact: Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi