Iraq: Death of President of Iraqi Union of Journalists after Terror Attack

Shihab Al-Timini, President of the President of Iraqi Union of Journalists succumbed on February 27th to wounds sustained in a targeted attack by gunmen last week-end. He suffered a heart attack and died in hospital where he was taken after sustaining wounds to the stomach, shoulder and face when his car was hit by a hail of bullets in the attack.

Brussels, 29 February 2008 : Shihab Al-Timini, President of Iraqi Union of Journalists succumbed on February 27th to wounds sustained in a targeted attack by gunmen last week-end. He suffered a heart attack and died in hospital where he was taken after sustaining wounds to the stomach, shoulder and face when his car was hit by a hail of bullets in the attack.

“This assassination of a courageous and veteran champion of journalists’ rights causes deep pain for all of us,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “Journalists all around the world share the grief of our Iraqi colleagues. We send them our deepest sympathy and we pledge to stand alongside them in defiance of the killers.”

Al-Timimi and the union’s Secretary General Moaid Al-Lami have received numerous death threats from extremist, plans to strengthen media freedom and levels of protection journalists.

The ITUC supports the IFJ position and also calls on the Iraqi authorities to find and prosecute those responsible. The killers struck just after a meeting where union leaders had put the finishing touches to plans for a seminar on the safety of journalists.

For more information, please go to the IFJ website: www.ifj.org

The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and territories and has 311 national affiliates.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018