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Murder of another Filipino journalist prompts UNESCO condemnation

Stop killing journalists.
UNESCO
Stop killing journalists.

Murder of another Filipino journalist prompts UNESCO condemnation

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today deplored the recent murder of a radio commentator in the Philippines, the fourth such killing of a journalist in the Asian country this year.

Crispin Perez, who hosted a morning programme on Radio DWDO in the central Philippine province of Western Mindoro, died on 9 June near his home in San Jose after being stabbed by an unknown attacker who later fled on a motorcycle.

Mr. Perez had also worked as a lawyer and was a former governor of Western Mindoro.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) condemned the killing and called for an immediate investigation.

Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, said in a press statement that he was deeply concerned that so many Filipino journalists had paid with their lives for “exercising the fundamental human right of freedom of expression.”

Mr. Matsuura stressed that it was essential for democracy that citizens had the right to be informed in an independent way on what was going on in their country.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Mr. Perez is the fourth journalist in the Philippines to be killed in 2009, and only last month Mr. Matsuura deplored the murder of a newspaper reporter near the capital, Manila. Another two journalists have been wounded this year in separate incidents but survived the attacks.