Attacks on the Press in 2005 - Iraq

Iraq was an assignment of unending danger for the hundreds of journalists covering the world's biggest news story. Journalist murders, deaths in crossfire, abductions, and detentions continued apace, reinforcing Iraq's distinction as the most dangerous place in the world to work as a journalist and as one of the deadliest conflicts for media in modern history.

Media casualties mounted at an alarming rate, with 22 journalists and three media workers killed in action in 2005. That brought the total to 60 journalists and 22 media support staff killed since the U.S.-led invasion began in March 2003. Continuing a trend that began in 2004, most of the casualties were Iraqis, who have assumed central roles in gathering news for local print and broadcast media as well as major international news organizations. More than 75 percent of all media deaths in Iraq since March 2003 have been local, front-line reporters on assignment in places deemed too dangerous for Westerners, or working local beats for domestic news outlets.

Insurgent attacks remained the leading cause of media deaths. In several cases, armed groups hunted down and murdered journalists. The motives for the murders were not always clear; however, some attacks appeared directed against news outlets perceived as supportive of U.S. and coalition forces. These include the national broadcaster, Al-Iraqiya, part of the Iraq Media Network (IMN), which receives funding from the U.S. government. Several of the station's journalists were murdered or attacked by insurgents during the year, while the station's offices came under constant artillery fire in cities such as Mosul. Other insurgent attacks on the media, such as attacks on Iraqis working for international news organizations, were interpreted by journalists as attempts by insurgents to intimidate local citizens who work with foreigners, or as efforts to single out people they believed worked with the coalition forces, or were "spies." Still other attacks came in retaliation for specific news coverage or the editorial line of a reporter's newspaper.

The case of Al-Iraqiya news anchor Raeda Wazzan underscored the peril. Wazzan was kidnapped in February and found dead five days later on a roadside in Mosul, where the journalist had lived and worked. She had been shot in the head repeatedly. Wazzan's husband said that his wife had received several death threats with demands that she quit her job. Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks in Internet postings, but those claims could not be independently verified. Other journalists narrowly escaped death in attacks by armed groups. Jawad Kadhem, an Iraqi correspondent for the Dubai-based satellite-TV channel Al-Arabiya, was shot and seriously injured at a Baghdad restaurant by men who tried to bundle him into a car. An obscure Sunni group calling itself Jund Al-Sahaba claimed responsibility in an Internet posting that called Kadhem "a malicious Shia." It accused Al-Arabiya of "treason" and of being a "mouthpiece of the Americans." Like other claims, its authenticity could not be confirmed. Iraqi journalists described several other close calls in which they survived threats or attacks from gunmen or insurgent groups.

Insurgent attacks and kidnappings were not limited to local reporters. In the first three months of 2005, armed groups seized at least seven foreign reporters. They included French reporter Florence Aubenas of the daily Libération, who was seized in Baghdad along with her interpreter and held for more than five months before her release on June 11. In February, Indonesian reporter Meutya Viada Hafid and cameraman Budiyanto, who work for Indonesia's 24-hour news channel Metro TV, were abducted by gunmen along with their driver and freed after several days. Romanians Marie Jeanne Ion and Sorin Dumitru Miscoci, of the Bucharest-based Prima TV; and Ovidiu Ohanesian, of the daily Romania Libera, were taken with their driver in March and released two months later. And Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena, of the Rome-based daily Il Manifesto, was held for a month after being abducted in Baghdad on February 4.

Due to the risk of abduction and attack by insurgent groups, foreign reporters, based mostly in Baghdad, sharply curtailed their movements beyond fortified residential compounds or hotels. Many traveled only with considerable calculation and the assistance of armed guards, staying at a location for short periods only. Few ventured on the dangerous insurgent-controlled roads outside Baghdad. In many instances, the only viable option to report from other parts of the country was to embed with the U.S. military. Journalists complained that the security situation had, in large measure, eroded their ability to cover many aspects of the conflict. The spate of abductions appeared to subside by fall, but in October, reporter Rory Carroll of the London daily The Guardian was kidnapped by armed men and released days later unharmed.

In Basra, the southern port city that had witnessed relatively few attacks on journalists, U.S. reporter Steven Vincent was abducted along with his translator and murdered in August. CPJ research found he may have been killed in retaliation for his sensitive reporting on Shiite religious groups in Basra and their infiltration of the local police force, or possibly because of his close relationship with his female Iraqi interpreter, who was gravely wounded in the attack. Fakher Haider, a stringer for The New York Times, was killed a month later in the same city.

Underscoring the vulnerability of the foreign press, three car bombs exploded in October outside the Palestine Hotel, which is widely used by foreigners, including journalists. More than a dozen people were killed. Although there were no media deaths, several journalists inside the hotel were injured. In a similar attack in November, suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden vehicles outside Baghdad's Hamra Hotel, which houses journalists and contractors. Several Iraqis were killed in the blast, although there were no media casualties.

The 157,000 U.S. troops stationed in Iraq, along with Iraqi armed forces, were yet another source of danger for the media. U.S. forces' fire remained the second leading cause of journalist fatalities in Iraq. Three journalists were killed by U.S. fire in 2005 – 13 total since 2003 – while several more came under fire. One of the fatalities, Waleed Khaled, a sound technician working for Reuters, was shot several times in the face and chest as he drove with cameraman Haidar Kadhem to investigate a report of clashes between armed men and police in Baghdad's Hay al-Adil district. On September 1, chief military spokesman in Baghdad Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said soldiers had followed "established rules of engagement" and acted in an "appropriate" manner when they opened fire on Khaled's vehicle, but military officials provided no further details, and it was unclear whether the results of the military's investigation would be released.

The military's record on investigating journalist deaths in Iraq suggested that they might never be made public. A CPJ study published in September showed that the U.S. military repeatedly failed to fully investigate, or properly account for, the killing of journalists by its forces in Iraq, or to implement its own recommendations to improve media safety, particularly at U.S. checkpoints.

Approaching U.S. checkpoints could at times be a hair-raising experience, according to journalists and other civilians. Protocols remained unclear more than two years after hostilities began, despite recommendations from CPJ, human rights groups, and the military itself for improving safety. Several journalists described coming under fire when approaching checkpoints or when operating near U.S. troops.

CPJ and Human Rights Watch wrote to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in June, expressing "ongoing concern about the U.S. military's failure to develop and implement adequate procedures at military checkpoints in Iraq." This followed the release of a military investigation into the checkpoint killing of an Italian agent shot by U.S. troops while spiriting journalist Sgrena to safety.

The two organizations noted, "More than two years after the March 2003 invasion, flawed checkpoint procedures continue to unnecessarily endanger the lives of civilians and U.S. service members." The letter to Rumsfeld also pointed out that in its own report on the Sgrena shooting the U.S. military recommended installing temporary speed bumps and spike strips at checkpoints to slow down vehicles, launching a public awareness campaign to educate the Iraqi population about how to safely approach checkpoints, and using signs in both Arabic and English to warn drivers. However, none of these recommendations appeared to have been implemented by year's end. This became apparent in October when several reporters came under fire without warning from U.S. and Iraqi forces at checkpoints near the International Zone in Baghdad.

Working around U.S. and Iraqi troops carried other risks. Troops routinely detained Iraqi journalists who operated near U.S. and Iraqi forces. Others were detained in neighborhood sweeps by the military. In 2005, CPJ documented seven cases in which reporters, photographers, and cameramen were detained for prolonged periods by U.S. forces without charge or the disclosure of any supporting evidence. The detentions involved journalists working for CBS News, Reuters, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, among others. At least three documented detentions exceeded 100 days; the others spanned many weeks.

In at least five cases documented by CPJ, the detainees were photojournalists who initially drew the military's attention because of what they had filmed or photographed. In several cases, U.S. military officials voiced suspicions that some Iraqi journalists collaborated with Iraqi insurgents and had advance knowledge of attacks on coalition forces. But the military did not provide evidence to substantiate its claims, despite repeated inquiries over many months, and journalists previously detained on such suspicions were released without charge.

When CPJ conducted its annual census of imprisoned journalists on December 1, at least four detainees were in U.S. custody. One of them, Abdul Ameer Younis Hussein, an Iraqi cameraman working for CBS News, was taken into custody after being wounded by U.S. forces' fire on April 5 while he filmed clashes in Mosul, in northern Iraq. CBS News reported at the time that the U.S. military said footage in the journalist's camera led them to suspect he had prior knowledge of attacks on coalition forces. AFP cited U.S. officials as saying the journalist "tested positive for explosive residue." No charges were made public, and the evidence used to hold him remained classified. The New York Times reported that the U.S. military referred Hussein's case to Iraqi justice officials, who reviewed Hussein's file but declined to prosecute him. Nevertheless, Hussein remained in U.S. custody. U.S. military officials issued unspecified accusations that Hussein was "engaged in anti-coalition activity," and that he had been "recruiting and inciting Iraqi nationals to violence against coalition forces and participating in attacks against coalition forces." Military officials did not provide evidence to support those accusations.

Even Iraqi officials took exception to the detentions. In September, Justice Minister Abdul Hussein Shandal criticized prolonged detentions by the U.S. military and expressed concerns that journalists were not being afforded appropriate protection in reporting on Iraq.

In March, the U.S. military said it would not reopen a military investigation that cleared U.S. troops of allegations that they abused three Reuters employees in Fallujah in January 2004. Reuters said military investigators never interviewed the three employees – cameraman Salem Ureibi, journalist Ahmad Mohammad Hussein al-Badrani, and driver Sattar Jabar al-Badrani – but had them fill out a written questionnaire. The three Reuters employees, along with Ali Mohammed Hussein al-Badrani, a cameraman working for NBC, were covering the aftermath of the downing of a U.S. helicopter when they were detained by U.S. troops on January 2, 2004. The four were taken to a U.S. base near Fallujah and released three days later without charge. The Reuters employees alleged that they were beaten and deprived of sleep. They said they were forced to make demeaning gestures as soldiers laughed, taunted them, and took photographs, Reuters reported. Two alleged they were forced to put a shoe in their mouths, and to insert a finger into their anus and then lick it.

Despite the military's indifference, the issue of journalist deaths, checkpoint safety, and journalist detentions at the hands of the U.S. military did get the attention of the U.S. Congress. In October, U.S. Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voiced concerns at a hearing in Washington with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and senior commanders. "I raised the question of the safety of the press in Iraq and their ability to carry out the very important function of reporting to the American people," Warner told reporters after the hearing. "I've discussed it with the secretary. He's going to take it under immediate consideration." By December, though, there was little indication that the Pentagon had taken steps to address journalists' concerns.

The overall press freedom situation in Iraq wasn't entirely bleak. Iraqi media have flourished since the fall of President Saddam Hussein, who controlled the media with an iron fist, brooking no independent news or opinions. Today, dozens of newspapers and magazines, ranging from political broadsheets to independent dailies, compete for readers and offer a multitude of opinions to citizens. Private radio and television stations also provide local programming, complementing that of the state broadcaster, which is part of the U.S.-backed IMN. A new generation of independent Iraqi journalists serves a growing number of domestic outlets and international news organizations.

Still, Iraqi officials harassed journalists in a number of instances. Ayad Mahmoud al-Tammimi and Ahmed Mutare Abbas of the daily Sada Wasit were detained in April after being sentenced to two and four months in prison, respectively, for allegedly defaming former Wasit provincial governor Mohammad Reda al-Jashamy. The newspaper had published articles accusing al-Jashamy of corruption and human rights abuses. Both men were released from jail, but faced new charges of defaming al-Jashamy, the police, and the judiciary in other articles published in the paper. If convicted, they face seven to 10 years in prison.

The government also kept in place its indefinite ban against Al-Jazeera, which has been prohibited from newsgathering in Iraq since former Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi announced in July 2004 that the station had been barred for incitement to violence and hatred. Iraqi officials alleged that Al-Jazeera's reporting on kidnappings had encouraged Iraqi militants, and a government statement on the ban accused Al-Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for terrorist groups and contributing to instability in Iraq. Al-Jazeera was still able to cover news from Iraq through local sources, stringers, and a network of contacts.

---

Killed in 2005 in Iraq

Raeda Wazzan, Al-Iraqiya, February 25, Mosul

Wazzan, a news anchor with the Iraqi state TV channel Al-Iraqiya who was kidnapped on February 20, was found dead five days later on a roadside in Mosul, where the journalist had lived and worked, according to press reports citing her husband. She had been shot in the head repeatedly. Gunmen had also kidnapped Wazzan's 10-year-old son, but he was released days later.

Wazzan's husband said that his wife had received several death threats with demands that she quit her job, The Associated Press reported. The station, funded by the Iraqi government, also came under mortar attack the previous week, injuring three technicians, according to press reports. The AP reported that al-Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks in Internet postings, but those claims could not be independently verified.

Hussam Sarsam, Kurdistan TV, March 14, Mosul

Sarsam, a cameraman working with Kurdistan TV, a station affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was kidnapped and shot by suspected insurgents.

Sarsam was abducted on March 13 in front of Mosul University. The following day his captors returned him to the same location, where they killed him in front of a number of pedestrians, several Iraqi sources told CPJ.

Colleagues and a family member said burn marks were found on Sarsam's upper body, an indication of possible torture. The family member told CPJ that the cameraman's Kurdistan TV identification cards and a media card issued by U.S.-backed coalition forces were placed on his corpse by his killers.

Sarsam had worked with Kurdistan TV since January 2004. CPJ sources said Sarsam had videotaped confessions of insurgents held by Iraqi police in Mosul that were aired on a program on Kurdistan TV called "Al-Irhab ala Haqiateh" (Terrorism Exposed). His colleagues and a family member suspected his murderers were motivated by his filming of the detainee confessions.

Ahmed Jabbar Hashim, Al-Sabah, April 1, Baghdad

Hashim, a reporter working for the Baghdad-based daily Al-Sabah, part of the U.S.-backed Iraq Media Network, was kidnapped on March 25 by an unidentified armed group. His decapitated body was discovered on April 1.

Mohammad Abdul Jabbar, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, told CPJ that he didn't know the precise reason for the kidnapping and murder. However, insurgents have frequently targeted journalists working for U.S.-backed news outlets in Iraq. Some journalists familiar with the case told CPJ that Hashim might have been killed because he had also done work for U.S. media. Eight armed men in three cars ambushed the journalist while he was taking his daily route home. They decapitated him and sent a recording of the killing to Al-Sabah as a warning.

Fadhil Hazem Fadhil, Al-Hurriya, April 14, Baghdad
Ali Ibrahim Issa, Al-Hurriya, April 14, Baghdad

The two Al-Hurriya television journalists were killed in twin suicide bombings while on their way to an assignment. The station's Baghdad director, Nawrooz Mohamed, told CPJ that producer Fadhil and cameraman Issa were en route to an event honoring the new president, Jalal Talabani.

Mohamed told CPJ that the journalists were traveling in a car with a reporter and a driver when the bombs exploded outside the Interior Ministry. The reporter and driver were injured, he said.

Mohamed said that the journalists were not targets of the attacks, which The Associated Press said took the lives of at least 18 people.

Saman Abdullah Izzedine, Kirkuk TV, April 15, Kirkuk

Unidentified assailants gunned down Izzedine, a news anchor for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan-backed Kirkuk TV as he was driving on the main highway from Kirkuk to Baghdad. Kurdish journalists in Kirkuk said that Izzedine's car was fired on by a group of armed men driving in a black Nissan. After Izzedine was shot, his attackers threw his body onto the road and left the scene, the journalists reported.

Kurdish journalists said Kirkuk TV's anti-insurgent stance has made it vulnerable to attack from armed groups, and they believe Izzedine, a prominent personality on Kirkuk TV, was targeted for his work with the station.

Ahmed al-Rubai'i, Al-Sabah, mid-April, Baghdad

Al-Rubai'i, a reporter and editor at the U.S.-backed daily Al-Sabah who also worked in the media department of the Iraqi National Assembly, was abducted and apparently murdered by unknown perpetrators in Baghdad. The circumstances of his abduction and apparent murder are not clear. No body was found.

Iraqi officials told the journalist's family that al-Rubai'i had been murdered, colleagues said. The Washington Post reported on June 6 that "police arrested several members of a criminal gang who admitted to killing several people. Rubai'i's press pass was found among the identity cards in their possession." The Post said the detainees told Iraqi police that al-Rubai'i had been beheaded, although his body was not recovered. CPJ could not corroborate this account.

The Iraqi National Guard and Interior Ministry told Al-Sabah staffers that the perpetrators belonged to the militant group Tawhid and Jihad, and they killed al-Rubai'i because he was a "traitor." Al-Rubai'i worked as a reporter for Al-Sabah. He took a second job as a media officer for the National Assembly five months before his death, staff said.

Saleh Ibrahim, Associated Press Television News, April 23, Mosul

Ibrahim was killed by gunfire near the city's al-Yarmouk Circle, the scene of an earlier explosion that he and his brother-in-law, AP photographer Mohamed Ibrahim, had gone to cover, according to The Associated Press.

A journalist at the scene, whose name was withheld, told the AP that the Ibrahims had arrived at the scene together after the 2:30 p.m. blast and that U.S. forces were in the area. The journalist told the AP that gunfire broke out and both men were struck, although the report did not indicate who fired on them.

Saleh Ibrahim was taken to a local hospital, where he died shortly after arrival. Mohamed Ibrahim, treated for shrapnel wounds, was detained at the hospital by U.S. troops and released the following day. The AP, citing Mosul's deputy police chief, said a U.S. patrol was the target of the earlier explosion.

Ahmed Adam, Al-Mada, May 15, Latifiyah
Najem Abed Khudair, Al-Mada, May 15, Latifiyah

Adam and Khudair, reporters with the private Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada, were murdered on a road in Latifiyah, a town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Baghdad after leaving the office of their newspaper in Baghdad.

A colleague told CPJ that they were killed after meeting with newspaper staff in Baghdad and getting assignments for the week. The journalists were on the way home to Karbala, their hometown, when armed men ambushed their car. The colleague told CPJ that the journalists' throats were slit and their bodies were left on the side of the road. At least four other journalists were killed after being ambushed on roads in the area south of Baghdad. Initial press reports said that the journalists were traveling with a driver, who was also killed.

Jerges Mahmood Mohamad Suleiman, Nineveh TV, May 31, Mosul

Suleiman, a news anchor at Nineveh TV, was shot by unidentified assailants in late May. Nineveh TV is part of the U.S.-backed Iraqi Media Network. The Associated Press said the shooting occurred on May 31.

Co-workers said Suleiman worked for the station for just 20 days before he was killed. He was shot as he approached Nineveh TV's offices, about 220 yards (200 meters) from the building. Colleagues said Suleiman had not received any prior threats, but they suspect he was targeted because he was an employee of Nineveh TV. Insurgents have frequently targeted Nineveh TV's offices with gunfire and mortars.

Maha Ibrahim, Baghdad TV, June 25, Baghdad

Ibrahim, a news producer for the Iraqi television station Baghdad TV, was shot by U.S. forces as she drove to work with her husband, who was a fellow employee, Iraqi journalists and colleagues at Baghdad TV told CPJ.

Staff at the Baghdad TV station said Ibrahim's car was hit as U.S. troops attempted to disperse a crowd from a Baghdad road. They said Ibrahim was wounded in the abdomen and that she died on arrival at a local hospital. Ibrahim's husband survived the shooting. Baghdad TV is a local television station affiliated with the Iraqi Islamic Party.

Ahmed Wael Bakri, Al-Sharqiyah, June 28, Baghdad

Bakri, a director and news producer for the local television station, Al-Sharqiyah, was killed by gunfire as he approached U.S. troops, according to Ali Hanoon, a station director. Hanoon said Bakri was driving from work to his in-laws' home in southern Baghdad at the time.

U.S. soldiers fired at the car 15 times, and Bakri died later at Yarmouk Hospital, Hanoon said. The Associated Press, citing another colleague and a doctor who treated the journalist, reported that Bakri failed to pull over for a U.S. convoy while trying to pass a traffic accident.

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad issued a statement of condolence to the family and the station, the BBC reported.

Khaled al-Attar, Al-Iraqiya, July 1, Mosul

Al-Attar, an Iraqi television producer for the state news channel Al-Iraqiya, was killed in Mosul after being kidnapped earlier in the day. Ghazi al-Faisal, a supervisor at the Al-Iraqiya station in Mosul, said al-Attar helped produce a number of programs, including a satirical look at Iraqi government. Al-Attar also appeared on camera. Al-Faisal said that he was unaware of any threats to al-Attar, but noted that the station's employees have been targeted.

Al-Faisal said that al-Attar was working when he was kidnapped shortly after noon. His bullet-ridden body was found later in the day near a local mosque. Insurgents increasingly targeted Al-Iraqiya and its journalists because of the station's ties to the U.S.-supported Iraqi government. Insurgents killed at least three other employees of the station and its affiliates since 2004, and the offices of the station and its affiliates have repeatedly come under mortar attack.

Adnan al-Bayati, TG3, July 23, Baghdad

Al-Bayati, a freelance producer and translator who worked for the television station TG3, was murdered by three gunmen at his home in al-Adhamiya neighborhood. The men knocked on al-Bayati's door and opened fire when he answered, killing him in front of his wife and baby daughter, said TG3 journalist Giovanna Botteri, who worked closely with al-Bayati.

Al-Bayati was not politically active and had no known personal disputes with any Iraqi factions, according to his colleagues. Botteri and other Italian media believe al-Bayati was targeted because of his work for TG3. The Web site Articolo 21 said that "al-Bayati fell victim to revenge attacks by Sunni terrorist groups who do not let Iraqis work with foreigners, especially with Western news media, above all Italian media."

Italian journalists in Iraq have been at risk. On February 4, journalist Giuliana Sgrena of the Rome-based daily Il Manifesto was kidnapped and held captive for a month. In August 2004, Italian freelance journalist Enzo Baldoni was kidnapped and murdered by a militant group in Najaf.

Al-Bayati, who was born in Diyala, northwest of Baghdad, spoke fluent Italian and spent five years in Italy earning a college degree. He also did some work for the television stations Rai, Mediaset and TG3, and for the magazine Panorama.

Steven Vincent, freelance, August 3, Basra

Vincent, who had written for a number of U.S. publications and was working on a book, was abducted along with his interpreter, Noor al-Khal, on August 2. They were taken by armed men driving what initial reports described variously as a government pickup truck or police car.

Vincent's body was riddled with bullets, his hands were tied with plastic wire, and his neck was wrapped in red cloth, The New York Times reported. Al-Khal was seriously wounded and was hospitalized.

In an opinion article published in The Times on July 31, Vincent said police in Basra had fallen under the sway of Shiite religious groups, and he strongly criticized British authorities in charge of police training for tolerating such influence.

Vincent's work also appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and the National Review. A resident of New York City, he had been in Basra for several months working on a book about the Iraqi port city. Vincent was the first U.S. journalist to be murdered in Iraq.

The reason for Vincent's murder remains unclear. Some speculated he was killed in retaliation for his sensitive reporting on Shiite religious groups in Basra. Others said his close relationship with al-Khal may have run against religious sensibilities and led to his murder.

Rafed Mahmoud Said al-Anbagy, Diyala TV and Radio, August 27, Baaquba

Al-Anbagy, a 36-year-old news anchor and director at Diyala, part of the U.S.-backed Iraq Media Network, was shot dead in Za'toun neighborhood in the city of Baaquba, east of Baghdad, while covering a football match, sources at the broadcaster told CPJ.

Al-Anbagy was interviewing one of the team's coaches when gunmen opened fire, killing both men. Al-Anbagy was shot in the head. Diyala sources said they believe al-Anbagy was killed because of his on-air criticism of insurgent groups and former Baathists. The sources said al-Anbagy had received several death threats for his reporting.

Waleed Khaled, Reuters, August 28, Baghdad

Khaled, 35, a soundman for Reuters, was shot by U.S. forces several times in the head and chest as he drove with cameraman Haidar Kadhem to investigate a report of clashes between armed men and police in Baghdad's Hay al-Adil district, Reuters reported.

Reuters quoted an Iraqi police report as saying, "A team from Reuters news agency was on assignment to cover the killing of two policemen in Hay al-Adil; U.S. forces opened fire on the team from Reuters and killed Waleed Khaled, who was shot in the head, and wounded Haider Kadhem."

Kadhem, the only known eyewitness, was wounded and was held by U.S. forces at an undisclosed location for three days. Kadhem told reporters at the scene that he heard gunfire and saw a U.S. sniper on the roof of a nearby shopping center. Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Kadhem was detained "due to inconsistencies in his story."

Hind Ismail, As-Saffir, September 17, Mosul

Ismail, a 28-year-old reporter for the daily As-Saffir, was kidnapped in the northern city of Mosul, local journalists told CPJ. Police in the southern suburb of al-Muthana found her body the next morning with a single bullet wound to the head.

"Hind was a very active reporter in Mosul," As-Saffir Deputy Editor Slayhe al-Jowiree said. "We respected her very much in her pursuit to uncover the truth."

The Baghdad-based As-Saffir took a strong pro-democracy editorial position and ran a campaign to educate Iraqis on the importance of the new constitution, local journalists said. It criticized insurgent attacks against Iraqi civilians, calling them terrorist operations.

Staff members believe insurgents targeted the newspaper because it supported the new Iraqi constitution, urged citizens to vote, and frequently covered press conferences held by the Iraqi police. The day before her abduction, Hind had covered a police press conference.

A close colleague told CPJ that Ismail was tortured by her captors and forced to reveal the names of other staffers at the newspaper. The torture session was filmed and later viewed by a staff member of the newspaper, the colleague said. The day after Ismail's death, insurgents circulated a list of newspaper staff and posted it on the walls of mosques in Mosul, according to the colleague. On September 20, As-Saffir journalist Firas Maadidi was also killed.

Fakher Haider, The New York Times, September 19, Basra

Several men claiming to be police officers seized Haider from his home in al-Asmaey neighborhood on the night of September 18. His body was found the next day in the southwestern Al-Kiblah neighborhood with a gunshot to the head, according to his family. He also had bruises on his back, The New York Times said in a statement.

Haider, 38, who reported for The Times for more than two years, also worked for Merbad TV in Basra, the Guardian of London, National Geographic, and other publications. He was married with three small children.

The Times reported that before his murder, Haider "had just filed a report on clashes between British forces in the area and members of a militia that has infiltrated the Basra police force but is loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr."

Firas Maadidi, As-Saffir and Al-Masar, September 20, Mosul

Firas Maadidi, 40, Mosul bureau chief for As-Saffir and chief editor of the local daily Al-Masar, was killed by unidentified gunmen in the al-Noor neighborhood, As-Saffir Deputy Editor Slayhe al-Jowiree told CPJ. Maadidi was shot six times, including twice to the head.

As-Saffir, based in Baghdad, took a strong pro-democracy editorial stance and ran a campaign to educate Iraqis on the importance of the new constitution, local journalists said. It said insurgent attacks against Iraqi civilians were terrorist operations.

"We are an independent newspaper serving the Iraqi people, and we have no political or factional affiliations," Jowiree told CPJ. The murder came just days after the slaying of Hind Ismail, a 28-year-old reporter for As-Saffir.

Mohammed Haroon, Al-Kadiya, October 19, Baghdad

Unidentified gunmen killed Haroon, a controversial journalist, as he was driving in Baghdad. Haroon, 47, publisher of the weekly newspaper Al-Kadiya who also served as secretary-general of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, was shot four times, according to CPJ sources.

In weeks before his death, he told colleagues that he had been threatened, told to resign his position at the syndicate, and lower his public profile, CPJ sources said. The syndicate is among a small number of professional press associations in Iraq. In his weekly columns for Al-Kadiya, Haroon often accused Iraqi journalists of collaborating with U.S. intelligence, according to CPJ sources. Haroon had once worked for newspapers overseen by Uday Hussein, son of the former Iraqi president, those sources said.

Ahmed Hussein Al-Maliki, Talafar al-Yawm, November 7, 2005, Mosul

Al-Maliki, an editor for Talafar al-Yawm in charge of local affairs, was gunned down by unidentified gunmen while exiting an Internet café in Mosul's central district, the paper's editor-in-chief Tareq Muhammad Ali told CPJ.

Al-Maliki e-mailed that day's local news to the editor-in-chief around 15 minutes before he was shot. Al-Maliki often relied on police sources for his job and enjoyed good relations with them, Ali told CPJ. Insurgents often target journalists seen dealing with the Iraqi police.

Talafar al-Yawm is pro-Iraqi government and democracy, Ali told CPJ, adding that in their reporting they don't refer to the U.S. forces as occupiers. As a result, the paper has received multiple threats from insurgents.

Abdul-Hussein Khazal, Al-Hurra, February 9, Basra (motive unconfirmed)

Khazal, 40, and his son were gunned down outside their home around 8 a.m., Al-Hurra said in a statement. Khazal, who joined the U.S.-funded television station in April 2004, also worked as a correspondent for the U.S.-funded radio station Radio Sawa, the station said.

Al-Hurra News Director Mouafac Harb told CPJ that the station was investigating the incident and was not aware of any threats against Khazal stemming from his work.

Agence France-Press reported that a previously unknown group calling itself The Imam al-Hassan al-Basri Brigades claimed responsibility for the shooting in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site. Agence France-Presse said the posting accused Khazal of being a member of the Badr Brigades, a Shiite militia affiliated with Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The Associated Press reported that Khazal was a member of the rival Shiite political party Dawa, worked as an editor for a local newspaper, and served as a press officer for the Basra city council.

In an interview with CPJ, Harb disputed reports of Khazal's Shiite political affiliations and said the reporter "was killed because he was a journalist."