IPI called for a thorough investigation into the murder of Kamiran Salaheddin, a news presenter for Salaheddin channel, who was killed on Tuesday in Iraq, according to reports.

Salaheddin, 34 or 35 depending on reports, died after a “sticky bomb” (a magnetic bomb) attached to his car exploded while he was on the way home from work on Apr. 2, reports say.  In addition to his duties at the TV station, Salaheddin also served as the head of the Journalists’ Union in Tikrit, reports say.

The reason for the killing is unknown, and so far no real investigation has taken place – in this or any other journalist killing, according to the Baghdad-based Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO).

“The federal government and the local government must investigate such cases, or they are covering the backs of the terrorists,” Bashar Mandalawy of the JFO told IPI. “The federal government and local government of Salaheddin province have the primary responsibility for providing safety to journalists and regular people.”

“We extend our condolences to the family and colleagues of Kamiran Salaheddin,” said IPI Press Freedom Manager Barbara Trionfi. “We call on the Iraqi authorities to carry out a full investigation into what appears to be a targeted killing, and ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice.”

IPI notes that at an experts’ meeting on journalist safety initiated by the Austrian Foreign Ministry in cooperation with IPI in November 2011, participants agreed that impunity was one of the main factors preventing the effective protection of journalists, and noted that “the main responsibility to protect journalists and end impunity remains with state institutions.”