New York, April 4, 2012–Iraqi journalist Kamiran Salaheddin was killed when a bomb attached to his car exploded late Monday, according to news reports. CPJ is investigating the circumstances of the attack to determine whether it was related to his work.
Salaheddin, a host and news anchor with the local television broadcaster Salaheddin Channel in Salaheddin province, was driving home from work in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit when the car bomb detonated, according to news reports. The journalist died after being taken to a local hospital, the reports said.
Salaheddin presented the news on Salaheddin Channel and hosted a well-known talk show on local politics, Ziad al-Ajili, director of Baghdad’s Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, told CPJ. He was also the president of the journalists union in Tikrit, local press freedom groups said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We extend our deepest condolences to Kamiran Salaheddin’s family and his colleagues,” said CPJ Director Joel Simon. “We urge Iraqi authorities to immediately and efficiently investigate Salaheddin’s murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Iraq continues to be one of the deadliest places for journalists to work. Since 1992, 150 journalists have been killed in Iraq, including five killed in 2011, CPJ research shows. The country ranked first on CPJ’s global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are slain and their killers go free.
- For more data and analysis on Iraq, visit CPJ’s Attacks on the Press.