UNESCO chief calls for probe into deaths of five Syrian citizen journalists
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 21 June 2012 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UNESCO chief calls for probe into deaths of five Syrian citizen journalists, 21 June 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fe435112.html [accessed 18 May 2013] |
| 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. |
"I call on the Syrian authorities to fully investigate the circumstances of their deaths," the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said in a news release, in which she also condemned the killings, adding that the five lost their lives while trying to inform the Syrian people of the tragic events taking place in their country.
The deaths in late May of Ammar Mohamed Zado, Ahmed Adnan Al-Ashlaq, Lawrence Fahmy Al-Naimi all of whom worked for the Shaam News Network and Bassel Al Shahade and Ahmed Al Assam, bring to 11 the number of citizen journalists killed in Syria since February.
They are among the more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, who have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 16 months ago.
"I also call on all parties involved in the present conflict to take all necessary steps to improve safety for all media workers in Syria, who are not only defending the right of the Syrian people to information and press freedom, but are also exercising their own right to freedom of expression, which is vital for all societies," Ms. Bokova added.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a non-governmental organization, Ammar Mohamed Zado, Ahmed Adnan Al-Ashlaq and Lawrence Fahmy Al-Naimi were killed in the capital, Damascus, on 27 May, when the apartment they were staying in was shelled.
The organization added that Bassel Al Shahade, who was working on a documentary film, and cameraman Ahmed Al Assam were killed on 28 May while filming an assault by armed forces in the Safsafa district of Homs.
