Arab journalists union condemns reporters assassination in Iraq

Arab Journalists Union (AJU) has reiterated condemnation of the "deliberate" assassination of journalists in Iraq after American shots killed last Thursday two reporters of the satellite news channel 'Al Arabiya'.

In a release made public over the weekend, AJU strongly denounced the "war crimes" of US forces that "killed some 20 Arab and foreign reporters after a year of occupation of Iraq." This figure, the Union underlines, represents half the number of journalists killed during the same period worldwide.

According to the Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel, the two journalists died after US soldiers fired at their car at a Baghdad military checkpoint.

"The killing of Arab journalists in Iraq is meant to hide the crimes perpetrated in the country and hamper the work of reporters," the release deplored, describing these acts as "violation of the rights of the press."

UJA said it called on UN chief Kofi Annan to urgently interfere to put an end to such bloody acts.