Ali Shafeya Has Been Killed
By Curt on Dec 15, 2007 in Ali Shafeya, Iraq
AiB gathered $2,500.00 in donations for Ali’s family, who encouraged them to keep going. So here is there new ChipIn widget. The old campaign has ended.
Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a correspondent with Alive in Baghdad, was killed yesterday in Habibya. Ali’s brothers were killed several years ago in the Firdos Square bombing and his father was kidnapped and killed after that. His mother and sister are all that remain of the family.
Brian Conley, the editor of Alive in Baghdad, is collecting donations for his funeral and to help his remaining family. You can contribute via the ChipIn widget above.
If you’re unfamiliar with AiB, it is an on-the-ground news gathering service, built up with native Iraqi journalists. They cover things foreign journalists can’t or won’t. They are, in spirit, bloggers. Ali was one of ours. Let’s take care of his family.
Updates below.
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Update: Brian has the full story on the Alive in Baghdad site.
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Update: There is an Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi Wikipedia entry now.
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Update: Ali had received a death threat a week before he was killed. Another AiB staffer received one today, according to AiB’s Brian Conley.
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Update: Committee to Protect Journalists has not (has not yet?) added Ali to the list of journalists who’ve been killed this year, nor to the list of “unconfirmed” cases it’s investigating. Well, he was a journalist. He was killed. What’s the damned hold-up? (Brian told us they have put Ali on their “unconfirmed” list. Hopefully they’ll do so publicly soon.)
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Update: As we say above, the campaign for Ali’s funeral and for his family has concluded. AiB raised about $2,500.00. His family indicated their wish fo r AiB to go on. They have started a new campaign to do just that. Support them if you can. Also, a very small cross-section of traditional media has finally covered Ali’s death. The lack of attention by the traditional media? Kind of shameful.
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