Mountain of impunity looms over Kurdistan journalists
CPJ to release report on the state of press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan New York, April 15, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists will release a special report on press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan. The report examines key attacks on journalists that have shaped the climate of impunity; the role of law enforcement and the judiciary;…
Two Iraqi journalists killed in suicide bomb
New York, March 11, 2014–A suicide bombing targeting a police checkpoint in Iraq’s Babil province on Sunday killed dozens of Iraqis, including two journalists, according to news reports. Muthanna Abdel Hussein and Khaled Abdel Thamer were cameramen for the state-run Al-Iraqiya TV station.
Attacks on the Press in 2013: Iraq
In a 2006 book, the late New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid summed up the future of Iraq as ghamidh, meaning “unclear” or “ambiguous” in Arabic. Seven years later, uncertainty continued to exacerbate the threats that journalists faced. Newspaper offices were attacked by unknown assailants, and journalists were threatened, assaulted, and detained. At least 10…
Iraqi journalist killed by bomb in Anbar province
New York, January 21, 2014–An Iraqi journalist was killed by a roadside bomb in Anbar province on Monday, according to news reports. Firas Mohammed Attiyah, a correspondent, had been reporting on ongoing clashes in the province for the local Fallujah TV station, the reports said.
Arab journalists need training for civil unrest and wars
In recent years, Arab journalists have been taking great risks to report important stories in a region where war and civil unrest remain an ever-present threat. Many are operating without proper equipment or safety training in how to recognize and mitigate the various risks they face.
CPJ condemns attack on Iraqi TV station
New York, December 23, 2013–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s attack on Salah al-Din TV station headquarters in Tikrit, Iraq, which left several journalists dead. The attack comes amid a wave of targeted killings of journalists in the past few months that has made the country among the deadliest in the world for journalists.
Too many triggermen, too little justice in Iraq
The Iraqi city of Mosul is once again one of the world’s deadliest places for journalists. In the past two months, the capital of Nineveh province has witnessed a series of targeted assassinations that, according to local press freedom groups, have led to an exodus of journalists from the city fearing for their safety.
Training can help journalists survive captivity
Two murdered journalists for the Africa service of Radio France Internationale, Ghislaine Dupont, 51, and Claude Verlon, 58, might have had a chance. They were abducted on November 2 in Kidal in northern Mali, but the vehicle their captors were driving suddenly broke down, according to news reports.
Gunmen kill Iraqi journalist near his home in Mosul
New York, October 25, 2013–Iraqi authorities must immediately identify the motive behind the killing of another journalist in the northern city of Mosul and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At least two other Iraqi journalists have been killed in Mosul this month.