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Iraqi journalists continue to die in large numbers as they endure their first experience of press freedom.
Forty-four Iraqis have now been killed, two thirds of the journalists and support staff who have died covering the Iraq conflict since it began two years ago this month, according to figures compiled by the International News Safety Institute.
The latest victim was Raiedah Wazan, a 35-year-old news anchor with the US-funded Iraqi state TV channel Al-Iraqiya.
Her body was dumped on a street in Mosul on 27 February, six days after she was kidnapped by masked gunmen. The mother of four had been shot four times in the head.
INSI counts 67 journalists and support staff who have died since March 2003 in one of the bloodiest conflicts for the news media in modern times.
Iraqis working for fledgling news organisations set up after the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s stifling dictatorship, or for international television networks and newspapers, have borne the brunt of the killing.
Terrorist and other unknown gunmen and bombers accounted for 40 of the total of news media deaths.
Eleven were killed by US fire and six in crossfire. Two were killed by Iraqi soldiers. There is no evidence that the American or Iraqi armies deliberately targeted journalists.
Eight journalists died in accidents or from health problems.
Two journalists are missing, believed dead, and two are held hostage.
The dead come from 16 countries, including Iraq. They are Algeria, Argentinia (2), Australia (2), Britain (3), Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan (2), Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Poland, Spain (2), Ukraine and United States (3).
No one thus far has been held to account for killing a journalist.
Iraqi journalists plan to demonstrate on April 8 to protest over impunity for killers of news media personnel.
INSI has held two safety training courses in Iraq for Iraqi journalists and more are planned. Consult the Iraq War Casualties list : http://www.newssafety.com/casualties/iraqcasualties.doc
(Methods of counting media casualties in conflicts can vary. INSI, being concerned with all aspects of safety in conflicts, records the deaths of every member of a working news team – correspondents and camera operators, staff or freelancers, fixers and other support staff such as drivers and translators, as well as all employees of a news organisation targeted for attack because of its news role.) and counts all causes of death, whether bullet or bomb, accidental or health-related.) |