Journalist death toll in Iraq rises to six this year after TV presenter shot
Mazen Mardan Al-Baghdadi, who worked for TV station Al-Mousiliya, was killed outside his home yesterday in the city of Mosul
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An 18-year-old television presenter from Iraq has been named as the sixth journalist to be killed in the country this year and the fourth since US troops withdrew in August.
Mazen Mardan Al-Baghdadi, who worked for TV station Al-Mousiliya, was killed yesterday outside his home in the city of Mosul, according to a report from press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF). He was reportedly shot by gunmen claiming to be military intelligence officers.
RSF says it "firmly condemns" his murder and called for "a proper investigation that results in both the perpetrators and instigators being brought to justice".
"It would be regrettable if this case went unpunished, like 99 per cent of the 230 murders of journalists that have taken place since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003," the report added.
"Without an exemplary trial, those who murder journalists will continue to sow terror among the media throughout the country.
"Guaranteeing the safety of civilians, including journalists, who have been particularly exposed to the violence in Iraq since 2003, is a major challenge for the government." In September Reporters Without Borders claimed the war in Iraq had resulted in the heaviest death toll for the media since the Second World War.
