Amnesty Award

From the Institute for War and Peace Reporting:

Iraqi journalist and former IWPR trainee Sahar al-Haideri, who was murdered by gunmen in her home town of Mosul on June 7, 2007, has been honoured in the Amnesty International Media Awards 2008.

Her story, “Honour Killing” Sparks Fears of New Iraqi Conflict, published by IWPR in May 2007, about the brutal murder of a young Yezidi woman in the town of Bashika, won the New Media category.

Haideri was killed after receiving 15 death threats because of a series of stories she wrote highlighting the influence of religious extremists, especially in curbing women’s rights. Ansar al-Islam has claimed responsibility for her murder.

The journalist, who was 45 and had four daughters, reported from the northern city of Mosul, considered Iraq’s second most dangerous location for journalists after Baghdad.