UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the deaths of journalists Vedat Erdemci and Abdul Hameed al-Yousef, who were killed in northern Syria on 11 October and 10 November respectively.
“I condemn the killing of journalists Abdul Hameed al-Yousef and Vedat Erdemci," she said. The heavy toll paid by journalists in Syria is intolerable and I remind all parties of their obligation to protect the lives of journalists and civilians in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.”
According to media reports, Verdat Erdemci, an independent documentary filmmaker of Turkish nationality, was killed in an air strike in Ras al-Ain, a locality bordering Turkey, shortly after working on a report about Yezidi children who had been detained by Daech. Abdul Hameed al-Yousef, a photographer and image reporter in the Kafr Rumah media office in Idleb province, was killed by artillery fire with at least six other civilians.
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
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 08 91