News Banjul The Gambia (MB)- The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of Honduran TV producer and presenter Jorge Alberto Orellana. Ms Bokova also voiced alarm at the high toll paid by journalists in the country.
“I condemn the murder of Jorge Alberto Orellana,” the Director-General declared. “I am alarmed by the high toll the media of Honduras have been paying in recent weeks and trust that the authorities will spare no effort in investigating each and every one of these cases. This is essential to enable the media to play their role, which is indispensible for democracy and rule of law.”
Jorge Alberto Orellana of commercial local TV channel Televisiòn de Honduras was shot dead on 20 April in the northern city of San Pedro Sula. Press freedom organizations report that he is the seventh Honduran journalist to be killed over just six weeks.
UNESCO is the only 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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