The head of UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova, on Thursday called for an investigation into the killing of a journalist in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on April 16.
This is contained in a statement from UN in New York, saying that Soleil Balanga was killed in Monkoto, a town in the northern province of Equateur, after having used a megaphone to broadcast news in the streets.
The statement added that after the broadcast the transmitter of his radio station, broken down.
Bokova stated that she was shocked by the brutal murder of Balanga, which she strongly condemned and so called on the authorities to bring those responsible for this killing to justice.
She also noted that “violence cannot be allowed to silence reporters and deprive the public of information it is entitled to receive.’’
UNESCO issued statements on the killing of media workers in line with Resolution 29 adopted by UNESCO member states in 1997.
