UNESCO chief condemns the murders of three Pakistani journalists

UNESCO chief condemns the murders of three Pakistani journalists

2010-12-15 09:19:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, whose United Nations agency is tasked with defending press freedom around the world, on Tuesday condemned the recent murders of three Pakistani journalists.

The journalists were all killed on December 6. Altaf Chandio, president of the Mirpur Khas press club in Sindh province and the bureau chief of the private Sindhi language channel, AWAZ (voice), was shot outside his house by unidentified gunmen.

Abdul Wahab, a journalist for Express News, and Pervez Khan, a journalist with WAQT TV, were among some 50 killed when a suicide bomber struck a government building in Ghalanai, a town in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). More than 100 others were injured.

Bokova said the fact that they lost their lives in two separate incidents on the same day underlines the grave dangers facing media professionals in the South Asian nation.

"The killing of Altaf Chandio, Abdul Wahab and Pervez Khan is a denial of freedom of expression, a fundamental right that is a cornerstone of a democratic society," Bokova said. "I call on the authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrators to justice, to show that impunity will not be tolerated in Pakistan."

According to the International Federation of Journalists, the recent killings bring to 14 the number of media professionals killed in Pakistan so far this year.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-12-15