There has been no news of an Iraqi journalist kidnapped on Wednesday in the city of Kirkuk, a knowledgeable source told IPI on Friday. IPI has decided not to name the source for security reasons.

Hussam Dawood al-Eqabi, a journalist for local al-Ahed radio station, was abducted by four armed men while on his way to work, according to news reports. Al-Ahed is controlled by the bloc loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, according to the bloc’s Kirkuk office director, AFP reported.

The source said he had received no further information about al-Eqabi since he was kidnapped.

“We are highly concerned for the well-being of Hussam Dawood al-Eqabi, and call on his abductors to release him immediately and unharmed,” said IPI Director David Dadge. “The Iraqi authorities must investigate this matter promptly and ensure that the abductors are brought to justice and punished. For many years now the murder and kidnapping of journalists has been commonplace in Iraq. Although the number of journalists killed because of their work there dropped to four in 2009, from a high of 41 in 2007, Iraq remains a terribly dangerous place in which to work as a journalist.”

IPI’s World Press Freedom Review 2009: Focus on Africa and Middle East – which was released last week – notes that according to IPI’s Death Watch figures, 170 journalists were killed in Iraq over the last ten years, making it the most dangerous country for journalists in the past decade.

UPDATE: Iraqi Journalist Freed After Payment of Ransom

24 March 2010

A journalist kidnapped from Kirkuk city in Iraq was freed on 26 February following payment of a ransom, according to news reports. The family of Hussam Dawood al-Eqabi reportedly paid USD 20,000 for his release.

Hussam Dawood al-Eqabi, 22, was kidnapped on 17 February by four unknown gunmen while on his way to work at Al-Ahed television and radio stations, IPI reported on 19 February. Al-Ahed is reportedly controlled by a political bloc loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.