UNESCO condemns killing of journalist in gunmen attack in northern Iraq

UNESCO condemns killing of journalist in gunmen attack in northern Iraq

2011-04-05 02:32:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday condemned the killing of an Iraqi journalist when gunmen stormed government building in northern Iraq, killing 32 people.

"The vicious attack that took his life, and many others as well, is an attack against the whole of Iraqi society and must not go unpunished," said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

On March 29, a group of unknown gunmen stormed a provincial council building in Tikirt. The attackers first set off two car bombs outside the Salah ad Din council headquarters.

Once inside the building, the gunmen opened fire and took many hostages. Iraqi security forces exchanged fire with the gunmen for hours before entering the building. 32 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured, some critically.

Sabah al-Bazee, 30, was among the victims of the attack. He worked for several local and international media outlets. Bokova called on Iraqi authorities to bring the perpetrators into justice.

"Free and independent information, the basis of open informed debate, is essential for the reconstruction of Iraq where all too many journalists have been paying with their lives to keep civil society at home and abroad informed," added the Director-General.

Al-Bazee, who was married with 3 children, is the second Iraqi journalist killed in recent times. On February 17, Hilal al-Ahmadi was gunned down outside his home in Mosul, northern Iraq.

Al-Ahmadi, 50, was recognized for exposing corruption and the lack of social services in the Ninawa region. He worked for two local newspapers, the Mosul Echo and the Iraqiyoun.

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.

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