Americas

Home page

Americas

UN Security Council strongly condemns killing of U.S. journalist

07 September 2014 02:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and called for the immediate release of all civilian hostages held by militant groups, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"This crime is, yet again, a tragic reminder of the increasing dangers journalists face every day in Syria," the Council members said in a statement to the press in which they expressed deep sympathy and condolences to Sotloff's family.

"It also once again demonstrates the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of abuses against the Syrian and Iraqi people," the Council members said, underlining the need to bring perpetrators of the reprehensible act of terrorism to justice.

The 15-nation body stressed again that ISIL must be defeated and that the "intolerance, violence and hatred" it espouses must be stamped out.

"The members of the Council further emphasized that such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them but rather stiffen their resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst governments and institutions, including those in the region most affected, to counter ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al-Qaida," the statement said.

The most powerful body of the UN demanded the "immediate, safe and unconditional" release of all those who are kept hostage by those militant groups.

ISIL, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State (IS), has recently claimed to have established an "Islamic Caliphate" in parts of Syria and Iraq, threatening the stability of the region.

ISIL on Tuesday released a video online that appears to show the beheading of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff. The group had threatened to kill the American freelance journalist in a video posted online on Aug. 19, in which another American journalist James Foley was beheaded to avenge U.S. airstrikes on the group's targets in northern Iraq.

The Security Council had strongly condemned the "heinous and cowardly murder" of James Foley, the same description used in Saturday's statement on beheading of Sotloff, and stressed that those responsible for the killing must be held accountable.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than 430 journalists have been killed between 2007 and 2012.