IFJ Condemns Shooting of Iraqi Journalist – the 131st Media Victim of Violence

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the killing of Iraqi journalist Alaa Hassan, who was killed while on his way to work.

“The death of another Iraqi journalist fills us with sorrow and anger,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “This is a country in which violence and killing has become a routine and intolerable feature of daily life and in which journalists continue to be prominent among the victims. It is imperative that the Iraqi government acts quickly to bring the killer to justice.”

Mr. Hassan, who was working as a contributor for Inter Press Service (IPS), was on his way to work in Baghdad when he was fired on by gunmen, the media company said in a statement.

The IPS said that according to their information the attack was not targeted, but that their colleague “was just in the wrong place at the wrong time” and a victim of the “senseless violence engulfing Iraq.”

The IFJ calls for a full investigation by the Iraqi government to discover the motive for the killing.

The death of Mr. Hassan brings the tally of journalists and media staff killed in Iraq to 131 since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

In June, the IFJ launched its campaign to stop the killing of journalists in Iraq. Through its campaign, the IFJ is raising money to support injured journalists and the families of journalists killed in Iraq. It is also lobbying the Iraqi authorities, the US government and the United Nations to offer better protection to media staff and journalists in Iraq and to prosecute anyone who victimises them.

For more information on the IFJ campaign, to contribute to the IFJ fund or to send a letter to the UN, go to:
 http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Issue=Iraq&Language=EN

For further information contact the IFJ: +32 2 235 2200

The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.