The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the killing of French reporter Frédéric Lecler-Imhoff on 30 May while he was covering the evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk for French television broadcaster BFMTV.
Since the start of the war, UNESCO has been implementing a series of emergency measures to help protect journalists on the ground. In late April, the Organization also sent a mission of experts to support media professionals in Lviv.
According to the Director-General of UNESCO, ” I condemn the killing of Frédéric Leclerc Imhoff and call for the opening of an investigation so as to identify those responsible for this crime and bring them to trial. Once again, I appeal for respect for UN Security Council Resolution 2222 of 2015 on the protection of media professionals in conflict situations. Journalists who work tirelessly in Ukraine to inform us about the reality of the war must be protected from attack.”
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.