The International Federation of Journalists has called on the Iraqi government to respond immediately to the growing threats facing journalists and independent media as the country moves towards crucial national elections next month.

The urgency of the call is highlighted by reports of the kidnapping of a journalist in central Kirkuk yesterday morning. The reporter, Houssam Dawood al-Aqabi, a correspondent of al-Ahd radio was abducted by gunmen from al-Nasr neighborhood according to the Aswat al-Iraq news agency. At the same time there have been a series of incidents in Iraqi Kurdistan which add further to the fears that media targeting is on the increase.

“Journalists trying to report freely in the run-up to the election are feeling the heat of political interference,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “It’s important that the government takes a stand to protect independent journalism. If not, the election process on March 6 will be fatally flawed.”

White and the IFJ President Jim Boumelha wrote to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki this week protesting over political pressure on the Iraqi Journalists’ Syndicate and warned: “Any threat to Iraqi journalists’ safety and integrity has to be taken seriously. We are therefore requesting your personal intervention to ensure that the independence of media is protected and there is no undue interference in Iraqi journalists’ affairs.”

The IFJ says that sectarian groups have been trying to force the Iraqi union to choose sides in the increasingly tense political environment. IFJ leaders point out that the country has the unenviable record of journalists’ killings with more than 250 media victims of war, political and sectarian violence in the last decade alone.

“If Iraqi leaders want their commitment to democracy to be taken seriously they must take action to end the intimidation of journalists,” said White. “There can be no free elections when reporters are being kidnapped and media are pressure.”

For more information contact the IFJ at   +32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide