26 October 2005
HOTEL BOMBINGS INJURE JOURNALISTS
Three car bombs exploded outside the Palestine and Sheraton hotels in Baghdad on 24 October 2005, killing as many as 20 people and injuring several others, including nine journalists and media personnel, reported the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).
Five of the injured journalists work for Al Hurra TV. Two were from the Associated Press Television (APTN) news agency, while two others, including Baghdad bureau chief Seif Al Khayaj, reported for the radio station Nwowa, according to RSF. The Palestine and Sheraton hotels are widely used by foreigners, including journalists and news organisations.
CPJ says this is not the first time insurgents have launched bomb attacks against foreign media in Iraq. In November 2004, a car bomb destroyed the Baghdad bureau of the Dubai-based satellite broadcaster Al-Arabiya, killing five employees and wounding several others. Armed groups also carried out mortar attacks against the offices of the Iraq Media Network, the U.S.-backed national broadcaster.
The safety of journalists in Iraq continues to be a major concern for press freedom groups and news organisations.
On 19 October, "The Guardian's" Iraq correspondent, Rory Carroll, was abducted by insurgents in Baghdad. He was released two days later following intense behind-the-scenes negotiations brokered by Iraqi officials.
Iraqi journalist Mohammed Harun Hassan was not so lucky. On 19 October, he was gunned down by unidentified assailants in Baghdad, reported CPJ and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Harun was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Nabdh Al Shabeb" and publisher of the weekly "Al-Kadiya" ("The Cause").
He was also an influential trade unionist who was the secretary-general of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate. In recent weeks, he told colleagues that he had been threatened, told to resign his position at the syndicate and lower his public profile, according to CPJ.
In his weekly "Al-Kadiya" columns, Harun often accused Iraqi journalists of collaborating with U.S. intelligence, says CPJ. Harun had reportedly once worked for newspapers overseen by Saddam's son, Uday Hussein. CPJ is investigating whether Harun's murder is linked to his work as a journalist.
Visit these links:
- RSF on the Hotel Bombings: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15425
- CPJ on the Hotel Bombings: http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Iraq24oct05na.html
- IFJ on Harun's Murder: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=3428&Language=EN
- RSF on Rory Carroll's Release: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15359
- Carroll Recounts Abduction: http://www.guardian.co.uk/rorycarroll/0,16647,1596750,00.html
- Iraq - Journalists in Danger: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/Iraq_danger.html
- International News Safety Institute: http://www.newssafety.com/
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