Reporters Without Borders calls on kidnappers to release journalist Enzo Baldoni

Reporters Without Borders has called on the kidnappers of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni to release him immediately. Baldoni, 56, of the independent weekly Diario, was abducted by an armed group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq, according to a video broadcast on 24 August on the Arab-language al-Jazeera television network. "We call on the kidnappers of Enzo Baldoni to release him immediately," said the international press freedom organisation. "Like all journalists he should be treated as a civilian and cannot be seen as a party to the conflict. It is unacceptable to link a journalist to the politics of his government and to use his life as a means of applying political pressure." In the al-Jazeera video, said to come from Baldoni's kidnappers who described themselves as members of the Islamic Army in Iraqi, the journalist briefly identifies himself. His passport and journalist's professional identity card are seen on the film that also carried an ultimatum demanding withdrawal of Italian forces from Iraq within 48 hours. The footage was shown in Italy on the Canale 5 channel. Baldoni had not been heard of since 19 August when he left Baghdad for Najaf with an Italian Red Cross convoy and a crew from Italian public television Rai Uno. The same day Baldoni began the return trip to Baghdad with the same convoy but after a stop at Kufa the journalist, who had no satellite phone, decided to leave the Red Cross and the Rai Uno crew and go on alone. Baldoni had already been to Najaf on 15 August with a Red Crescent convoy taking in water and medicine. According to his Rai Uno, colleague Pino Scaccia, he undertook the second trip hoping to interview Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr. A member of Diario's editorial team, Gianni Barbacetto, quoted by AFP said that the journalist's driver and translator Mr Ghareeb had reportedly been found dead. This has not been confirmed. Baldoni, married and the father of two children, had reported widely from dangerous areas such as Colombia, Burma and East Timor.