UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today denounced the murder of Haitian journalist Pierre Richard Alexander, who passed away on the night of 19 May in Saint-Marc.
“I condemn the murder of Pierre Richard Alexander,” declared the Director-General. “I am counting on authorities to shed light on this crime. Media professionals must be able to work in secure conditions while making an essential contribution to democracy and good governance. Violence against media organizations and journalists cannot be tolerated.”
Pierre Richard Alexander, 40, was shot near his house in Saint-Marc on 17 May and died from his injuries on the night of 19 May.
While working as a correspondent for Radio Kiskeya, Pierre Richard Alexander also hosted a daily debate on the local radio station Radio Delta. Pierre Richard Alexander is remembered on the dedicated web page UNESCO Condemns the Killing of Journalists.
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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…”