UNESCO condemns murder of Iraqi journalist who exposed corruption

UNESCO condemns murder of Iraqi journalist who exposed corruption

2011-03-11 03:47:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday strongly condemned the murder of an Iraqi journalist who was recognized for exposing corruption in his country.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova deplored the assassination of Hilal al-Ahmadi in northern Iraq. She added that attacking journalists cannot be tolerated and called for defending press freedom.

On February 17, Hilal Al-Ahmadi was gunned down outside his home in Mosul, Iraq. The 50-year-old journalist worked for two local newspapers, the Mosul Echo and the Iraqiyoun.

Ahmadi was leaving his home in order to go to work when a vehicle approached and the passengers opened fire with a submachine-gun. The Iraqi journalist died at the scene due to multiple gunshots.

Two weeks before the murder, Ahmadi was dismissed as head of the Ninawa provincial government's communication and media department. In addition, his newspaper articles drew attention to corruption and the lack of social services in the region.

"By denying citizens access to information, these crimes tear at the very fabric of emerging democracies," Bokova said. "They must be investigated and punished."

According to the non-governmental organization (NGO) Reporters with Borders, seven journalists were killed in Iraq in 2010. Since 2003, 232 media personnel have been murdered in the troubled nation.

"The murders of journalists in Iraq are not letting up and generalized impunity is fuelling the cycle of violence. Very few of 232 murders of in Iraq have been thoroughly and conclusively investigated. Impunity must not prevail in Iraq," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said after Ahmadi's murder.

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