Rights group: Seven Iraqi journalists killed in six months

As many as seven journalists were killed in Iraq during the first half of 2016, a rights group said on Sunday.

The Iraqi Observatory for Press Freedoms said during its semi-annual report on the situation for journalists in Iraq that “seven journalists were killed and dozens were injured while some media outlets suffered from prosecutions during the first half of this year”.

According to the report, battles to retake the city of Fallujah in Anbar province from Daesh resulted in the deaths of three journalists and the injuring of twelve more.

Some journalists were directly targeted by the organization, while others were injured in explosions and mortar shells, the report explained.

The observatory also reported that some courts issued fines against journalists and media outlets, while the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission has issued final warnings to some media outlets to pay for broadcast fees which were rejected by a number of local radio stations.

“The broadcasts buildings were also exposed to sabotage and bomb attacks by unidentified gunmen, making 2016 not much different from the years that preceded it, which saw the killing and wounding of dozens of journalists,” the report said.

According to observatory figures and the Iraqi Journalists Union, as many as 420 journalists have been killed in the country since 2003.