UNESCO chief condemns killing of another Pakistani journalist

UNESCO chief condemns killing of another Pakistani journalist

2011-05-17 21:06:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday condemned the murder of another journalist in Pakistan, where at least 15 journalists have been the victims of targeted assassinations since 2002.

As reporter for Khyber news agency, Nasrullah Afridi was killed on May 10 when his car exploded in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. He had also worked for Pakistan Television and for the Urdu-language newspaper Mashreq.

Afridi was also the President of the Tribal Union of Journalists and had been in Peshawar fleeing threats from militant groups, according to a statement issued by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokova expressed deep concern about the high number of journalists who have been killed in Pakistan in recent years.

"The authorities must spare no effort in bringing the culprits of such crimes to justice, to ensure that journalists can pursue their important work," she said. "The time has come for serious action against those who use violence to silence the all-important voice of the press."

Afridi's killing occurred just one week after Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari told the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international non-governmental organization (NGO), that he would pursue justice for journalists killed on the job.

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