’14 jourlists killed in Iraq in 2014’

 Baghdad, January 7: A total of 14 jourlists were killed in the violence–ridden Iraq last year, an Iraqi jourlists’ body said on Tuesday. The latest body count brings the death toll of jourlists in the Middle East country to 406 since the US led invasion in 2003, Xinhua reported. According to the report, more than 23 offenses had been registered against the jourlists during the year, ranging from assassition attempts, detaining, beating and raids on their headquarters and houses to prevent them from reporting. Such killings and other offenses came despite some positive indicators in general, like growing openness shown by Prime Minister Haider al–Abadi’s new Iraqi government towards the freedom of the jourlistic work, including his decision to drop all pending government lawsuits against jourlists and media outlets. The prevailing atmosphere of democracy, which greatly enhanced the freedom of expression, in addition to the official and popular support to the jourlists, were not enough to prevent the series of violence against the jourlists, making the jourlistic work in Iraq fraught with risks, the report added. (IANS)