UN agency condemns killing of two journalists working on assignment in Iraq

The killing of two journalists in Iraq drew strong condemnation today from the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom and the safety of journalists.

“Journalists face tremendous dangers in carrying out their job, a job where they provide us with vital information enabling us to build towards peace,” said Irina Bokova, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Kurdish journalist Bakhtyar Haddad and French reporter Stéphane Villeneuve were working together in Mosul, Iraq, on a programme for France 2 when they were killed as a result of a roadside bomb explosion.

Their names will be added to UNESCO's dedicated webpage commemorating the lives of journalists killed in the line of duty.