International press body concerned over escalating violence against journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has warned of the increasingly dangerous situation for journalists in Iraq following the murder of journalist Alaa Edwar last Wednesday in Mosul. Edwar, 41, a cameraman for local TV station Nivenehe Al-Ghad, was shot three times in the head and chest by unidentified gunmen and died on the spot. He had previously worked for Al-Rashid TV and for other TV stations as a freelance cameraman, said the IFJ in a statement here today. Another journalist, Wadah el Hamdani, a reporter for the Baghdad TV channel, was killed accidentally by a random bullet fired during a funeral in Basra on Thursday. According to the latest IFJ statistics, six journalists have now been killed in Iraq this year. "We are deeply concerned about the escalation of violence against the media in Iraq in recent months," said IFJ President Jim Boumelha. He called for an end to violence against journalists in Iraq where it is estimated that at least 300 journalists have been killed since the US invasion in 2003. The Brussels-based IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 134 countries