IWPR News

Iraqi Reporter Latest Victim of Violence Against Women Journalists

   

A courageous Iraqi journalist, who covered sectarian violence in the north of the country, has been murdered in Mosul, the latest victim of attacks against Muslim women reporters.

(07-Jun-07)

Sahar Hussein al-Haideri, 45, a top Iraqi reporter working in the perilous Mosul region, who fearlessly wrote about efforts by extremist forces to take control of the city and foment sectarian conflict, was murdered outside her home on June 7.

Haideri reported for a Mosul newspaper, the Voices of Iraq news agency, and the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, IWPR, where she had participated in numerous training and exchange programmes over the past three years.

Her most recent story was a moving feature on the stoning to death of a young Yezidi girl who had converted to Islam after falling in love with a Muslim boy. See "Honour Killing” Sparks Fears of New Iraqi Conflict.

Haideri had long been concerned about her security, and for the past year had contributed reports to IWPR under a pseudonym. Six months ago, her husband and four children moved to Damascus, and she had recently relocated to Syria herself.

She was on a brief visit back to her home in Mosul. Several individuals confronted her as she left her house on June 7 and shot her dead.

Earlier this week, Zakia Zaki, 35, a prominent Afghan woman journalist, and Sanga Amach, a 22-year-old television news presenter, were murdered in separate incidents in Kabul.

“Women journalists have demonstrated particular tenacity and bravery in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uzbekistan and other Islamic countries, reporting on the human costs of conflict and the efforts of mostly male-dominated power structures to undermine democracy,” said Anthony Borden, executive director of IWPR, an international not-for-profit organisation which supports local journalists in conflict areas and maintains extensive programming in Iraq.

“Women are vital agents of democratic change in these societies, and the recent tragic killings demonstrate the depth and violence of opposition to their efforts,” he said.

“Our psychological state is unbalanced because we live and think in fear and worry, and always think about our destiny and that of our family members, relatives and friends,” Haideri told the UK Press Gazette earlier this year. “But I have never thought about quitting, as journalism is my life and I really love it.”

Iraqi Crisis Reports By Sahar Al-Haideri ICR No. 225 Iraqi Sex Slaves Recount Ordeals 29-June-07 ICR No. 225 Bleak Future for Nineweh Minorities 29-June-07 ICR No. 221 Investigative Report: "Honour Killing” Sparks Fears Of New Iraqi Conflict 14-May-07 ICR No. 218 Police Linked to Tel Afar Reprisals 13-Apr-07 ICR 216 Mosul: Victims Pile up at City Morgue 30-Mar-07 ICR No. 215 Home From Home in Syria 16-Mar-07 ICR No. 205 Sunni Militants Issue Religious Edicts In Mosul 9-Dec-06 ICR No. 200 Perils Of Policing Iraq 3-Nov-06 ICR No. 198 Mosul Militants Attack Female Teachers 13-Oct-06 ICR No. 194 Experts Fear A Lost Generation 13-Sep-06 ICR 143 „Old Maids“ Missing out on Marriages 27-Sep-05 ICR 142 Mosul plagued by pollution 20-Sep-05 ICR 141 Residents resent house invaders 03-Sep-05 ICR 140 Damascus Nightclubs recruit Iraqi girls 06-Sep-05 ICR 136 Police Don’t Make Marriage Material 10-Aug-05 ICR 132 Child Workers Help Their Families Get By Insurgents Target Doctors 12-Jul-05 ICR 131 Insurgents Impose Curbs on Women 05-Jul-05 ICR 130 Blood Money 28-Jun-05

Sahar on the Radio show The Other Half OH 20, Februar 9, 2007 Polygamy – Rights and Wrongs Sahar al-Haideri featured a vox pop in Mosul in which lawyer Dlovan Barwari described polygamy as a form of discrimination against women, civil servant Mohammed Ibrahim urged every man to marry several women, while Noora Hasan, also civil servant, opposed the practice, saying it created problems between couples and had a bad effect on children. OH 19, January 16, 2007 Searching for Anwers Reporter Sahar al-Haideri visited one of the best-known fortune-tellers in Mosul. She counted tens of women waiting for consulations, among them a woman who was hoping to be told the fate of abducted relatives. OH 16, November 23, 2006 Security Concerns Sahar al-Haideri looks at how some women are trying to do their bit to stem the violence by joining the police force. OH 15, November 14, 2006 Upsurge in Divorce In a feature from Mosul, Sahar al-Haideri spoke to mother-of-three Amal Hussein who asked her husband for a divorce because he lost his job and did nothing to get another one. She said that he didn’t care that the children needed food and clothing. Nada Zidan, a psychologist at Mosul University, criticised Iraqi courts for not encouraging married couples to solve their problems. OH 12, October 10, 2006 Health Hazards Sahar al-Haideri produced a story about women losing hair. She interviewed, among others, Dr. Ansam Khalid, who pointed out that malnutrition, caused by UN sanctions imposed on Iraq during the 1990s, was the main reason for the problem. OH 5, August 16, 2006 Struggling for Their Art Sahar al-Haideri interviewed the female plastic artist Salwa Khalid in Mosul, who spoke about the financial problems women are facing who want to work as artists, pointing out that often they are unable to even afford basic materials such as paint. OH 4, August 2, 2006 The New Political Players Sahar al-Haideri interviewed Adnan al-Taee, a political analyst in Mosul, about the difficulties female politicians face in Nineveh province. He cites security as the major factor preventing them from entering political life, and notes that an increasing number of feamle activists and provincial council members have been killed or forced to leave politics. OH 3, August 1, 2006 Media Influence Grows Sahar al-Haideri speaks about how female reporters can work given all the security threats