Iraqi cameraman killed in bomb blast
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an investigation into a bomb blast which killed a local television cameraman in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, on October 21.
Orhan Hijran, 18, who worked for the Baghdad-based independent al-Rasheed satellite channel, died when a bomb exploded in front of his house in the Al-Khadhrah district of south-west Kirkuk , Bureau Chief Jawdat Assaf told CPJ.
Mohamed Abdel Dayem , CPJ's Middle East and North Africa Coordinator, said: “We call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring to justice those responsible.”
The bomb exploded at around 1:30 p.m. as Hijran and Mohammed Abdullah Zadeh, a correspondent with the Cairo-based Al-Baghdadia, were returning home from an assignment. Abdullah Zadeh, who was slightly injured, carried Hijran to hospital, Assaf said.
Assaf added that he did not know whether Hijran had been targeted: “The station is not a political channel, it covers entertainment, culture, and art,” he said. CPJ is investigating whether Hirjan was killed because of his work. The channel was launched in January.
Local journalists told CPJ that the south-western area of Kirkuk a route frequently travelled by the U.S. military, has often been hit with roadside bombs. Assaf said the area where Hijran was killed has a police checkpoint and has been the target of more than a dozen roadside bombs in the past few months.
At least 140 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York-based, non profit, non-partisan organisation dedicated to defending press freedom around the world.
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05 Mar 2010 12:17:32 BST
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