“I condemn the killing of Sabah al-Bazee,” the Director-General declared. “The vicious attack that took his life, and many others as well, is an attack against the whole of Iraqi society and must not go unpunished.

“Free and independent information, the basis of open informed debate, is essential for the reconstruction of Iraq where all too many journalists have been paying with their lives to keep civil society at home and abroad informed.

“I encourage the authorities in Iraq to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Sabah al-Bazee, 30, worked for several media organizations including Reuters, CNN and other international news outlets. He was among more than 20 people who were killed on 29 March when gunmen seized control of the provincial government building in Tikrit, 140 kilometres northwest of Baghdad.