UNESCO Chief Denounces Murder of Guatemalan Journalists

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, has condemned the killings of journalists Gleymer Renan Villeda in the village of Nabajoa, municipality of Morales in the Izabal Province, and of César Augusto Leiva Pimentel in the city of Jutiapa, Guatemala, both on 21 December 2023.

I condemn the killings of Gleymer Renan Villeda and César Augusto Leiva Pimentel, and urge an investigation to bring the perpetrators to account. Impunity for such crimes leads to a chilling effect on freedom of expression and creates zones of silence that deprive populations of crucial information.

Audrey AzoulayUNESCO Director-General

Gleymer Renan Villeda was a regular contributor of the online news portal Impacto Izaba, and César Augusto Leiva Pimentel a journalist and presenter of radio programmes on Radio La Red. Both were reportedly ambushed in their cars and fatally shot in separate incidents on the same day.

UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and by coordinating the implementation of the UN Plan of Actionon the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

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