Iraqi who worked for Italian news media murdered in front of his family

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the murder of Adnan Al Bayati, who was killed at home in Baghdad in the presence of his wife and daughter on 23 July. He had been working as an interpreter and producer for Italian news media for several years. "We are outraged by Al Bayati's horrible murder," the press freedom organisation said. "Nothing seems to stop the killers of journalists in Iraq. Two have been murdered in the space of 10 days. The fact that the murderers did not cover the faces is a sign of the terrifying climate of total impunity prevailing in Baghdad." A journalist with the Italian TV station TG3 who had worked with Al Bayati told the Italian news agency ANSA: "He fell victim to the revenge attacks by Sunni terrorist groups who do not let Iraqis work with foreigners, especially with western news media, above all Italian media." Al Bayati had been working with the TV stations Rai, Mediaset and TG3 and the magazine Panorama. A practising Shiite known for his piety, he had studied at the university of Perugia in Italy. A total of 65 journalists and media assistants have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003.