Paris, 06 November—The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has denounced the killing of journalist Rashid al-Bakr in Syria on 26 October.
“I condemn the killing of Rashid al-Bakr,” said the Director-General. “I exhort all parties to respect the civilian status of journalists and media workers in keeping with the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. It is vital that journalists be able to carry on reporting even, maybe especially, during armed conflict.”
Rashid al-Bakr, a reporter and camera operator for Syrian news website Al-Mohrar Media Network and for Syria 1 News Agency, was killed in an airstrike near the city of Kafr Takharim in Idlib. He had been sent to the area to film a training camp used by groups associated with the Syrian opposition.
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