Iraqi journalists’ leader is shot dead
THE PRESIDENT of the Iraqi Union of Journalists, Shihab Al-Timimi, became the 250th journalist to be killed in the country since the invasion five years ago when he was fatally wounded on February 27 when four gunmen opened fire on his car.
Shihab Al-Timimi, 74, was hit by a hail of bullets following a meeting of the union leadership in the Al Wazeiriyah district of Baghdad about plans for a seminar on the safety of journalists.
His life had been spent in the struggle for an independent, democratic and secular Iraq. He was first imprisoned in 1948 at the tender age of 14, as a member of the banned Iraqi Communist Party. His commitment to social justice saw him imprisoned many times after this, under the regime of Saddam Hussein.
He was later to leave the Communist Party, but always remained committed to the goal of a democratic, non-sectarian, independent and secular Iraq.
These principals enabled the Iraqi Union of Journalists, and its predecessor the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists, to remain politically independent, non-sectarian and secular, while many other organisations in Iraq have split along religious or political lines in the chaos and social breakdown since the invasion. Shihab Al-Timimi was implacably opposed to the US and British occupation.
He was an outspoken opponent of sectarian violence and he spent his life defending journalists and journalism. His was dedicated to improving the safety of Iraqi journalists and fighting to preserve their independence and professionalism.
The NUJ has supported the call by the International Federation of Journalists for the UN to lead the defence of journalists and the media in Iraq. The union has demanded that the Iraqi government investigate this crime and prosecute those responsible.
David Ayrton