23/02/2012 President
Strasbourg, 23.02.2012 - Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said today that he was deeply shocked at the death of the French photographer Rémi Ochlik and the American journalist Marie Colvin working for the Sunday Times, who were both killed in the bombardment of Homs.
“On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, I would like to express my sincerest sympathy and condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
Pending the outcome of the investigation into the circumstances of their deaths, we already know that it is the Syrian regime which is responsible and as such should be held to account.
As our Assembly stated in Resolution 1438 (2005) on the freedom of the press and the working conditions of journalists in conflict zones, ‘situations of war or conflict do not make the adequate provision of information through the media any less important; on the contrary, they enhance its relevance.’
It is with a feeling of immense sorrow and emotion that I share in the grief felt by the whole profession. I wish to pay tribute to all those who, like Rémi Ochlik and Marie Colvin, put their lives at risk in Syria to keep us informed. Their deaths will not silence the reporting on the atrocities committed by this bloody regime.”