UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called on the Kenyan authorities to investigate the murder of television journalist Betty Barasa in the town of Ngong in the south of the country on 7 April.
I condemn the killing of Betty Barasa. I call on the authorities to investigate this crime and determine whether it was linked to Barasa's profession as a journalist. Gunpoint censorship must not be allowed to undermine journalists' ability to carry out their work.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
Senior video editor and producer for the public television Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Barasa was accosted by three men outside her house as she was returning from work. They forced their way into her home, held the journalist's family hostage, and ransacked the premises before killing Betty Barasa.
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.
- See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists
