UNESCO chief urges probe into killing of journalist in Mexico
Publisher | UN News Service |
Publication Date | 27 June 2016 |
Cite as | UN News Service, UNESCO chief urges probe into killing of journalist in Mexico, 27 June 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57725ee540c.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
27 June 2016 - The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today called for an investigation into the killing of journalist Zamira Esther Bautista in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
"I condemn the murder of Zamira Esther Bautista," Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in a statement.
"In the interest of the rule of law, and to make sure that crime is not allowed to silence the voice of independent media, I call on the authorities to investigate this case and bring its perpetrators to trial," she added.
Bautista, a former correspondent of local dailies La Verdad and El Mercurio, was a freelance journalist and teacher. She was shot on the morning of 20 June.
UNESCO's chief regularly issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States in 1997, entitled "Condemnation of Violence against Journalists."