"An attack on the media and freedom of expression"

7 January 2015 — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, and UNESCO have strongly condemned the attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, in which 12 have been killed and 7 wounded.

A little before noon, masked gunmen opened fire in the offices of satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, killing twelve people before escaping. 

"Freedom of expression and opinion are a cornerstone for any democratic society", says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

"Those trying to divide communities on grounds of religion, ethnicity or any other reason must not be allowed to succeed. The rule of law must unite us in standing firm against such terrorist acts."

Additionally, Zeid expressed his concern, stating that "if this attack is allowed to feed discrimination and prejudice, it will be playing straight into the hands of extremists whose clear aim is to divide religions and societies. With xenophobia and anti-migrant sentiments already on the rise in Europe, I am very concerned that this awful, calculated act will be exploited by extremists of all sorts."

His statement was echoed by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

"This is more than a personal tragedy", Bokova stated.

"It is an attack on the media and freedom of expression. The world community cannot allow extremists to silence the free flow of opinions and ideas. We must work together to bring the perpetrators to justice and stand together for a free and independent press."