Condemning the Russia-Venezuelan Murders

It looks like we’re not the only ones paying attention to the parallel trends of violence and insecurity in both Russia and Venezuela.  Today UNESCO chief Koïchiro Matsuura condemned both the murder of Stanislav Markelov and Orel Zambrano:

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom condemned the killings of journalists and a lawyer in Russia and Venezuela, underscoring that these murders are a contravention of human rights. (…)

“These killings represent a tragic blow to the basic human right of freedom of expression and to all other human rights, which are essential if good governance and the rule of law are to be upheld,” said UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura. (…)

The “deliberate targeting” of media professionals such as Mr. Sambrano is a setback to “democracy and rule of law which depend on the ability of the members of any society to hold free debates about issues of general concern and make informed decisions,” said Mr. Matsuura.