WORLD / Africa |
UNESCO chief condemns murder of journalist in DRC(Xinhua)Updated: 2007-06-20 03:28 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s director general Koichiro Matsuura, condemned Tuesday the murder of Serge Maheshe, a prominent journalist working for a Congolese radio station, who was shot in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s region of Bukavu on June 13, and called on DRC's authorities to do everything possible to punish the perpetrators of this crime. "I strongly condemn the killing of Serge Maheshe," said Matsuura, adding "a promising life has been extinguished in DRC." "This journalist, known for his diligent work, used information to promote peace, constitutional state, and to end insecurity. His courage and commitment to democracy cost his life," he said. "I hope Congolese authorities will do everything possible to find and punish the perpetrators of this murder," said UNESCO chief. Serge Maheshe,31, had been working since 2002 for Okapi Radio, a joint project between the Swiss Hirondelle Foundation and the United Nations Mission in DRC (MONUC). He was shot to death on June 13 as he left a friend's house in Bukavu, thus becoming the third Congolese journalist to be murdered since November 2005. |
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