The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the deaths of Azerbaijani journalists Siraj Abishov and Maharram Ibrahimov on 4 June in Kalbajar district, Azerbaijan.
I am shocked by the tragic deaths of Siraj Abishov and Maharram Ibrahimov. Journalists must be able to exercise their profession without risk to their personal safety.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
The two media professionals were on duty, travelling in a vehicle when an anti-tank mine exploded. The explosion killed Abishov and Ibrahimov as well as Arif Aliyev, a local district official. At least four other persons were injured in the blast.
Siraj Abishov was a camera operator working for Azerbaijan Television, and Maharram Ibrahimov was a journalist working for the Azerbaijan State News Agency.
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
