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UNESCO Director-General condemns killing of Mexican radio journalist
Published on Oct 7, 2008 - 6:23:07 AM
By: UNESCO
PARIS, Oct. 3, 20008 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, today condemned the shooting in Villahermosa, Tabasco, on 23 September, of Alejandro Xenon Fonseca Estrada, a Mexican radio journalist and an activist who campaigned against organized crime.
"I condemn the killing of Alejandro Xenon Fonseca Estrada," the Director-General said. "As a journalist and as a citizen, Alejandro Xenon Fonseca Estrada reported and campaigned against organized crime. He was targeted for exercising free speech, a fundamental human right, which shows how important freedom of expression and press freedom are to democracy and rule of law. I trust," Mr Matsuura concluded, "that the authorities will spare no effort in bringing to justice those behind this reprehensible crime."
Alejandro Xenon Fonseca Estrada, 33, hosted a programme on local radio station EXA FM called El Padrino (The Godfather). He was also an activist against organized crime. On the evening of his murder, he was on the streets with several colleagues putting up stickers criticising abductions. He was shot by people in a truck who first asked him what he was doing with his stickers.
UNESCO is the only 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 purpose the Organization is required 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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