28-02-2011 (Paris) The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the shooting to death of Abdost Rind, a reporter with the Urdu-language newspaper Daily Eagle on 18 February in Pakistan’s Balochistanprovince and voiced concern over the safety of media workers in the region.
“I condemn the murder of Abdos Rind,” the Director-General declared. “The killing of Abdos Rind raises further concern over the ability of media workers in Pakistan to exercise the fundamental human right of freedom of expression. All of us depend on free media to engage in informed debate and make responsible choices.”
Mr Rind is reported to have been shot repeatedly by unidentified assailants on his way home from work. He is the second media worker killed in Balochistan this year, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Reporters Without Borders says that 11 journalists were killed in Pakistan in 2010, making it the most dangerous place in the world for the profession.
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…”
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