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Director-General calls for inquiry into death of journalist Jairo Sousa in Brazil
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, today condemned the killing of radio journalist Jairo Sousa in the state of P谩ra in northern Brazil on 21 June.
鈥淚 condemn the killing of Jairo Sousa,鈥 said the Director-General. 鈥淚 trust that the authorities will investigate this crime against a man and a profession on which society depends to nurture informed public debate, an essential component of democracy and rule of law.鈥
Jairo Sousa was shot as he was arriving at R谩dio P茅rola FM where he hosted an early morning talk show, Show da Per贸la. Sousa regularly denounced corruption and organized crime in his radio programmes.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity-building and a range of actions, notably the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 08 91
