DIRECTOR-GENERAL CONDEMNS MURDER OF JOURNALIST MILAN PANTIC IN YUGOSLAVIA

Paris, June 12 (No.2001-77) - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today condemned the murder of Yugoslav journalist Milan Pantic, who reported on criminal affairs and corporate corruption for Belgrade daily Vecerneje Novosti, calling the assassination “a heinous crime against an individual and an outrage against freedom of information.”

Mr Pantic’s murder on Monday morning prompted the Director-General to reiterate: “Free and accurate media is essential to a healthy, functioning democracy. Without free media, the public is unable to make informed electoral choices, review the political decision-making process, or have an effective input into public affairs. It is intolerable that journalists are being killed for their ideas and for practicing their profession freely. It is essential that Mr Pantic’s killers be identified rapidly and brought to justice.”

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