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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has denounced the killing of Paraguayan journalist Fausto Gabriel Alcaraz on 16 May and called for an investigation into the case.

"I condemn the murder of Fausto Gabriel Alcaraz,” the Director-General said. “No effort must be spared to bring the culprits of this crime to justice. Violent attacks on the media must not be allowed to go unpunished. This is essential for all Paraguayans to benefit from the contribution of free and independent press to informed debate,” said Ms Bokova.

Fausto Gabriel Alcaraz, a journalist with local broadcaster Radio Amambay, was shot dead in the town of Pedro Juan Caballero, near the border with Brazil, on 16 May.

The Director-General’s condemnations of’ violence against the media can be found on the dedicated webpage: UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists.

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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray(at)unesco.org,  +33 (0)1 45 68 42 12

UNESCO is the 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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