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The Media
Journalist leader dies after attack

Report, Reporters Without Borders

Mar 5, 2008

The president of the Iraqi Journalists' Syndicate died on 27 February, four days after being seriously wounded when he was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Baghdad, report the International Union of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and ARTICLE 19.

Shihab al-Tamimi was wounded in the stomach, shoulder and face when his car was hit by a hail of bullets in a targeted attack on 23 February. He died in hospital on 27 February. Al-Tamimi's son Rabie was also in the car and was injured in the attack.

Both al-Tamimi and the union's secretary general, Moaid Al-Lami, have been threatened before because of their criticism of attacks on the media by political extremists, says IFJ. According to Reuters, al-Timimi was also known for his outspoken views against the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the continued presence of U.S. troops.

Al-Tamimi's union was a core founding member of the Press Emblem Campaign and the International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists. The two groups organised a three-day mourning period for al-Tamimi.

According to CPJ, at least 127 journalists and 50 media support staff have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. About 90 percent of those killed were Iraqis.

IFJ is calling for "urgent action" from the Iraqi government and the UN, such as supporting al-Tamimi's safety campaign and reinforcing efforts to prosecute those who are targeting media workers. In January, the Iraqi government promised a report on journalists' killings, but none has emerged.

"If the United Nations can act decisively, it will not solve problems overnight, but it will make an immeasurable contribution towards reassuring Iraqi journalists that the international community recognises the current crisis," says IFJ. "It will begin to repay some of the debt that we all owe Shihab al-Tamimi and other media workers who have been sacrificed in this terrible conflict."