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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for measures to improve the safety of journalists in Somalia following the killing of journalist Abdirisak Ali Abdi, who was shot dead in the town of Galkayo in Somalia on 18 November.

“I condemn the killing of Abdirisak Ali Abdi,” said the Director-General. “I call on the authorities to take every possible measure to protect the safety of journalists and to improve their ability to do their work keeping the public informed. Every effort must be made to bring those responsible for the killing of Abdirisak Ali Abdi to trial.”

Abdi, 25, was shot dead by two assailants in a restaurant in Galkayo in Puntland on Tuesday. He was a contributor to various media including Radio Daljir and HornCable TV.

The Director-General of UNESCO issues statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO Member States at the Organization’s General Conference of 1997, entitled “Condemnation of Violence against Journalists.” These statements are posted on a 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…”