Hilal Al-Ahmadi

Hilal Al-Ahmadi (1954? – 17 February 2011), who was an Iraqi veteran journalist with over 30 years of experience and well known for his reports about corruption, was assassinated in front of his home east of Mosul, Iraq.

His death preceded by days the intimidation of the Iraqi press that occurred during the Arab Spring- inspired Iraqi protests.

The response by major IGO and NGOs to Al-Ahmadi's killing was to denounce the "culture of impunity" in Iraq which leads to further violence against journalists.

Career According to CNN, Al-Ahmadi had over 30 years of experience as a journalist.

Background Al-Ahmadi was shot dead shortly before the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory's office was ransacked on 24 February by Iraqi soldiers and before the "Day of Rage" protests in Iraq. Journalistic Freedoms Observatory estimated that 160 journalists had been detained after Al-Ahmadi's death and around the protests.

Jean-François Julliard, who is secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders, said in an Agence France Press report about Al-Hamadi's death: "The murders of journalists in Iraq are not letting up and generalized impunity is fuelling the cycle of violence. Very few of 232 murders of in Iraq (since 2003) have been thoroughly and conclusively investigated. Impunity must not prevail in Iraq."

Mohamed Abdel Dayem, CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said: "We call on the Iraqi authorities to vigorously investigate the killing of Hilal al-Ahmadi and bring those behind it to justice. It is time for the government to take the long-delayed initial steps toward ending a years-long record of impunity for journalist murders in Iraq."

Aidan White, who is the general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, said, "The lack of credible action on violence against media sends a dangerous sign to media predators," added White. "It encourages further attacks and the Iraqi authorities need to end this culture of impunity."

Personal life Hilal al-Ahmadi was married and had four children.