UNESCO ignores deaths of Russian journalists, Moscow voices sharp protest — TASS
Mikhail Gusman emphasized that after the publication of the draft report, he, as one of Russia’s representatives in the International Program for the Development of Communication, received a large number of documents from Russian media outlets expressing "absolutely justified" and "strong" protests
MOSCOW, November 28. /TASS/. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ignored the deaths of Russian journalists and failed to include them in its relevant report, prompting a strong protest from Moscow, TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman said.
"Russia, represented by our permanent mission, provided all the necessary materials for the report, but they were not considered," the member of the presidium of the International Program for the Development of Communication said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, noting that Moscow had submitted a list of deceased journalists, detailing the circumstances of their deaths.
Gusman emphasized that after the publication of the draft report, he, as one of Russia’s representatives in the International Program for the Development of Communication, received a large number of documents from Russian media outlets expressing "absolutely justified" and "strong" protests.
"Such deliberate disregard for journalists who have died — who gave their lives in service to their professional and human duty — could not help but provoke our protest," he stressed.
Report on the safety of journalists
The two-day session of the International Program for the Development of Communication, held on November 21 and 22 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, discussed a wide range of issues related to media work, including the safety of journalists. The session included a report by UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity for 2022-2023.
According to the document presented at the session, between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, 162 media workers were killed worldwide, including 72 in conflict zones. The annex to the report, which lists the cases of journalists killed by country, states that 14 media workers were killed in Ukraine in 2022-2023, with only one Russian — Rostislav Zhuravlev — allegedly killed, in connection with whose death the UNESCO Director General expressed "regret" in an official statement.