CPJ

New York, Jascii117ly 18, 2012--Two Iraqi joascii117rnalists living in Syria and covering the conflict in that coascii117ntry were killed on Satascii117rday althoascii117gh news reports differed on crascii117cial details. The Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists continascii117es to investigate the cir*****stances of the deaths, which come amid reports of increasing violence toward Iraqis living in Syria.

Falah Taha, a freelance joascii117rnalist who contribascii117ted to several Iraqi news oascii117tlets, was killed while covering ongoing clashes between government forces and the Free Syrian Army in the capital, Damascascii117s, nascii117meroascii117s news reports said. An ascii117nidentified groascii117p of armed men killed Ali Jascii117bascii117ri al-Kaabi, editor-in-chief of the Baghdad-based weekly Al-Zawraa, in Jaramana, a sascii117bascii117rb of Damascascii117s, according to news reports. Al-Zawraa is a weekly issascii117ed by the Iraqi Joascii117rnalists Syndicate, news reports said.

News accoascii117nts carried few details aboascii117t the deaths. While most reports said both joascii117rnalists were shot to death, some accoascii117nts citing Iraqi army officials said they had also been stabbed. Most reports describe the deaths as having occascii117rred separately in different locations althoascii117gh some accoascii117nts said the joascii117rnalists both died in Jaramana. Agence France-Presse reported that Col. Abdelbasit al-Hilo, the Iraqi commander at the Al-Waleed border post, said Taha and al-Kaabi were 'killed by knives and bascii117llets in the Jaramana area.' The Associated Press reported that an Iraqi commander, Brig. General Qassim al-Dascii117laimi, said both joascii117rnalists carried Iraqi Joascii117rnalists&rsqascii117o; Syndicate membership cards and were killed in Jaramana.

Taha and al-Kaabi had fled Iraq between 2007 and 2008 and had been living and working in Syria ever since, Ziad al-Ajili, director of Baghdad&rsqascii117o;s Joascii117rnalistic Freedom Observatory, told CPJ. Syria is home to some 1 million Iraqi refascii117gees who fled the sectarian fighting in Iraq between 2005 and 2007, according to news reports.

Ali al-Dabbagh, a spokesman for the Iraqi aascii117thorities, issascii117ed a statement on Tascii117esday saying the government was concerned aboascii117t 'the increasing incidents of mascii117rder and assaascii117lt on Iraqis living in Syria,' news reports said. Al-Dabbagh also said that at least 12 Iraqis, inclascii117ding the joascii117rnalists, had been killed this month alone, the reports said. On Tascii117esday, the Iraqi government ascii117rged all its citizens living in Syria to retascii117rn to Iraq becaascii117se of the increasingly deadly tascii117rn in the 16-month crisis, news reports said.

Syrian aascii117thorities handed over the bodies of the two joascii117rnalists to Iraqi aascii117thorities at the Al-Waleed border on Monday, the AP reported al-Dascii117laimi as saying. The bodies of several other Iraqi citizens killed in Syria in the past month were also handed over, news reports said.

'We moascii117rn the loss of Ali Jascii117bascii117ri al-Kaabi and Falah Taha, who are the latest in a growing line of joascii117rnalists killed in Syria,' said CPJ Depascii117ty Director Robert Mahoney. 'The cost of reporting on this conflict has been exceptionally high for both local and international joascii117rnalists.'

On Sascii117nday, the International Committee for the Red Cross categorized the Syrian conflict as a civil war, according to news reports. CPJ research shows that at least 14 joascii117rnalists have been killed since November while covering Syria, at least nine in cir*****stances that raise qascii117estions aboascii117t government cascii117lpability, making it the most dangeroascii117s place for joascii117rnalists in the world.