PARIS, August 4. /TASS/. The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the murder of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic and called for an investigation into the circumstances of the crime.

"I condemn this horrific attack that claimed the lives of journalists Orkhan Dzhemal, Alexander Rastorguyev, and Kirill Radchenko," the Director-General said in a written statement. "I call upon the national authorities to spare no effort in investigating the circumstances of this shocking attack and to bring its perpetrators to trial. It is fundamental for society as a whole that journalists be able to carry out their mission of informing the public without fearing for their lives," she emphasized.

The Russian Embassy in the Central African Republic said earlier this week that three men were found dead near the city of Sibut (300 kilometers north of the CAR’s capital city Bangui) on July 30. The Russian Foreign Ministry later said they had press cards featuring the names Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Okhran Dzhemal.

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a criminal investigation into the murder. Editor-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station Alexei Venediktov earlier told TASS that journalist Okhran Dzhemal, cameraman Kirill Radchenko and director Alexander Rastorguyev had been working on a documentary in the CAR.

The Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that all necessary assistance would be provided to the relatives of the slain journalists.