Paris, July 19 (No.2000-67) - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today condemned criminal attacks on journalists as “attacks on freedom of expression” in response to news of the death on Sunday of Russian journalist Igor Domnikov.

Igor Domnikov, who worked for the magazine Novaya Gazeta, was attacked on May 12 near his home. He sustained serious head injuries and never regained consciousness.

Mr Matsuura condemned the recent violent attack on a journalist: “Violent acts against journalists are attacks on freedom of expression and violations of the right - enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media”.

The Director-General expressed the hope that the Russian authorities do all in their power to find and punish the perpetrators of this odious crime. “In many parts of the world, journalist murder cases remain all too often unsolved,” he said, adding: “Injustice is added to violence. This causes concern and cannot be tolerated.”