killed

Afghanistan: Humanitarian aid workers killed

Front Line is deeply saddened by the news of the killing of three staff members of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Afghanistan on 13 August 2008. The IRC advocates on behalf of displaced communities, addressing the root causes of violence and protecting the rights of vulnerable populations.

Afghanistan

Colombia: Human rights defender and community leader José Dionisio Lozano Torralvo assassinated on 12 August 2007

Front Line is greatly saddened to learn of the assassination of José Dionisio Lozano Torralvo. He was Vice President of the Municipal Coordination of Social Organisations (Coordinación Municipal de Organizaciones Sociales) in San Ofofre, President of the Committee of Peasant Farm Workers (Comité de Usuarios Campesinos) in the region of Pajonal and leader of the National Movement for Victims of State Crimes (El Movimiento Nacional de Víctimas de Crímenes de Estado) for San Ofofre.

Colombia

Somalia: Two journalists killed in Mogadishu on Saturday 11 August 2007

Front Line is saddened to hear of the assassination of two journalists and human rights defenders, Ali Iman Sharmarke and Mahad Ahmed Elmi, on 11 August 2007. Ali Iman Sharmarke, Director and founder of independent media group Horn Afrik, and Mahad Ahmed Elmi, Director of the radio station Capital Voice, were killed in separate attacks.

Somalia

Front Line mourns the death of Iraqi journalist Sahar Al-Haidari

Front Line is greatly saddened to learn about the murder of the Iraqi journalist, Sahar Al-Haidari in her home town of Mosul on 7 June 2007. She was the mother of three children and worked as a news reporter for Iraq Voices, a news agency based in Mosul, the National Iraq News Agency - Nina and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Sahar Al-Haidari is the third journalist to be killed in Iraq in the last two weeks. Read more on Article 19 website

Iraq

Iraqi human rights defender and doctor assassinated

Front Line is deeply concerned by the assassination of a respected doctor and human rights defender, Dr. Adeeb Ibraheem Al-Jalabi.He was reportedly assasinated by elements linked to al-Qaeda shortly after leaving his clinic in Mosul City on 12 May 2007.

Iraq

Human rights defender and community leader murdered in Colombia

Human rights defender, Francisco Puerta was assassinated reportedly by paramilitaries in front of the main transport terminal in Apartadó, Colombia on 14 May 2007.

Colombia

Two human rights defenders killed in Somalia

On 15 May 2007, journalists Abshir Ali Gabra and Ahmed Hassan were shot dead by unidentified gunmen when a convoy they were traveling in from Jowhar to Addale to broker peace between rival clans was ambushed

Somalia

Prominent Mexican Journalist Murdered

The body of Diario de Agua Prieta journalist, Saúl Martínez Ortega, was found on 23 April 2007, six days after he was kidnapped by an armed gang. Rosie Palomares, the director of "Diario de Agua Prieta" newspaper, said that when Saul Martínez Ortega's body was found "it was difficult to recognize him, due to the decomposition of his body.”

Mexico

Iraq - Leading trade union activist killed

Najim Abd-Jasem's, the founder and leader of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) was abducted in Baghdad and his body, with evident signs of torture, was found three days later, on March 30, 2007. Since the 1980’s, Najim Abd-Jasem's has actively promoted the rights of workers and faced routine persecution on account of this work. He was fired from his job during Saddam Hussein’s regime for having opposed the government’s official union. A law, decree 150 was passed by the Iraqi administration under Sadaam Hussein and remains in force. The law bans trade unions in the public sector. Najim Abd-Jasem was extremely active in the new trade union movement that followed the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. Najim Abd-Jasem's was elected to the position of the General Secretary of the Mechanics Workers Union in 2003. Human rights defenders in Iraq, face huge risks to their lives and security as they carry out their work in an extremely dangerous situation.

Iraq

Human rights defender killed in Mogadishu

Unknown assailants shot human rights defender, Isse Abdi Isse, dead in Mogadishu on 14 March 2007 outside a hotel he was staying in while attending a human rights seminar on the psychosocial affects of civil war and floods on children.

Isse Abdi Isse is the chairperson of the Kisima Peace and Development Organisation, based in Kismayo. The organisation promotes and protects human rights and gender equality and uses a rights-based approach to empower local communities to become self-sufficient through development.

Front Line is deeply concerned by the recent escalation in the number of killings of human rights defenders in Somalia and believes Isse Abdi Isse was targeted because of his human rights activities.

Somalia

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