Iraq Archives - Committee to Protect Journalists

Syria, France most deadly countries for the press

December 29, 2015 12:01 AM EST

Of 69 journalists killed for their work in 2015, 40 percent died at the hands of Islamic militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. More than two-thirds of the total killed were singled out for murder. A CPJ special report by Elana Beiser

Photos of children who lost their documents while fleeing militants in Mosul are displayed at an Iraqi passport office. Many journalists fled the violence but the fate of those who remained is hard to determine. (AFP/Safin Hamed)

Chasing ghosts: Tracking Iraq’s missing journalists in Islamic State stranglehold of Mosul

October 22, 2015 3:24 PM EDT

Amar hasn’t left his house in five days. Every evening he fears a knock on the door will bring militants who have been searching for him. He hasn’t earned a salary in more than a year and relies on a few trusted neighbors to bring him food.

Getting Away With Murder

October 8, 2015 12:01 PM EDT

CPJ’s 2015 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free Published October 8, 2015 Elisabeth Witchel/CPJ Impunity Campaign Consultant The ambush of a convoy in South Sudan and the hacking deaths of bloggers in Bangladesh this year propelled the two nations onto CPJ’s Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries…

Students light candles at the edge of the Tigris to mark a June 2014 massacre of army cadets by Islamic State. As the militants are pushed out of Iraq, the toll of destruction on Iraqis, including journalists, is only just coming to light. (AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)

In Iraq, Islamic State exacts heavy toll on journalists and their families

April 13, 2015 3:41 PM EDT

The militant group Islamic State swept through Iraq last summer, taking over city after city and leaving a wave of destruction of a scale only just being discovered. Even now it is difficult to understand how much damage was inflicted, including on the Iraqi journalist community, where rumors of missing or killed journalists are swirling…

Iraq should investigate death threats against Reuters Baghdad bureau chief

April 13, 2015 2:42 PM EDT

Beirut, April 13, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Iraqi authorities to investigate death threats against Reuters’ bureau chief in Baghdad and ensure that journalists are able to work in Iraq without fear of reprisal. Ned Parker was forced to flee Iraq following death threats, Reuters reported on Saturday.

Video: Bob Simon recounts 1991 capture in Iraq

February 20, 2015 1:10 PM EST

When I heard the news last week that Bob Simon had died, I immediately thought back to an interview I had done with him in 2010. It was at an event called the “Courage Forum.,” an ideas festival which took place the Museum of Modern Art hosted in New York City. It featured speakers who…

Fight for justice in Kurdistan as suspect in journalist’s murder is exonerated

January 22, 2015 6:36 PM EST

The family of Kawa Garmyane, a journalist shot dead in Kurdistan in December 2013, has vowed to continue the fight for justice after Mahmoud Sangawi, a military commander charged with ordering the killing, was exonerated on Sunday by a court in Kalar. The court also upheld the death penalty handed to Twana Khaleefa, who was…