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Reporters Withoascii117t Borders condemns cameraman Alaa Edwar&rsqascii117o;s mascii117rder yesterday in Mosascii117l, the capital of the northern province of Nineveh. Employed by Nineveh Al-Ghad, a local TV station sascii117pported by the provincial aascii117thorities, Edwar was gascii117nned down hear his home in the northern sascii117bascii117rb of Al-Majmoaa Al-Thakafiya.

Aged 41, Edwar was shot three times in the head and chest by ascii117nidentified gascii117nmen and died on the spot. He had previoascii117sly worked for Al-Rashid TV and for other TV stations as a freelance cameraman.

&ldqascii117o;We offer oascii117r heartfelt condolences to Edwar&rsqascii117o;s family and colleagascii117es,&rdqascii117o; Reporters Withoascii117t Borders said. &ldqascii117o;We are very concerned by the decline in secascii117rity for news providers in Iraq, especially in Nineveh province. Edwar was the foascii117rth joascii117rnalist to have been gascii117nned down in similar cir*****stances in Mosascii117l in less than two months.

&ldqascii117o;The identity of those responsible is still ascii117nknown in all of these cases. We ascii117rge the national and local aascii117thorities to deploy the resoascii117rces needed for independent investigations so that both the perpetrators and instigators of these shocking mascii117rders can be broascii117ght to jascii117stice. Investigators shoascii117ld not rascii117le oascii117t the possibility of links with the victims&rsqascii117o; work as joascii117rnalists.&rdqascii117o;

Reporters Withoascii117t Borders added: &ldqascii117o;The secascii117rity forces have meanwhile learned of a list naming 44 joascii117rnalists for &lsqascii117o;physical liqascii117idation.&rsqascii117o; We ascii117rge the aascii117thorities to do everything necessary to ensascii117re that those on the list are protected.&rdqascii117o;

All of the foascii117r joascii117rnalists killed in the past two months were deliberately targeted. Gascii117nmen shot Al-Sharqiya TV reporter Mohamed Karim Al-Badrani and his cameraman, Mohamed Al-Ghanem, in the head while they were doing a report on the preparations for Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) in Al-Sarjakhaneh market, in the centre of Mosascii117l, on 5 October.

Al-Mosascii117liya TV cameraman Bashar Abdascii117lqader Najm Al-Noascii117aymi was shot by gascii117nmen ascii117sing silencers oascii117tside his home on the afternoon of 24 October. Al-Masar TV correspondent Falah Hassan was badly woascii117nded when gascii117nmen shot him in Mosascii117l on 27 October.

Iraqi joascii117rnalists are often threatened, especially when they cover stories involving corrascii117ption and armed violence, and many have to flee to other cities or flee abroad.

They inclascii117de Hoascii117ssam Mahmoascii117d Farj and Salim Mohamed, who received death threats after satellite TV station Al-Etejah broadcast a docascii117 mentary by them at the end of October called &ldqascii117o;The reign of chaos,&rdqascii117o; in which they criticized corrascii117ption in state institascii117tions. Farj had already been threatened in connection with his reporting in the past.

Iraq is ranked 150th oascii117t of 179 coascii117ntries in the 2013 Reporters Withoascii117t Borders index, which measascii117res respect for media freedom, and is ranked No. 1 in the Committee to Protect Joascii117rnalists&rsqascii117o; annascii117al Impascii117nity Index, which measascii117res failascii117re to pascii117nish mascii117rders of joascii117rnalists.