Al Arabiya, 31 July 2012 – Iraqi officials say a local journalist has been shot dead by gunmen who broke into his house in the country’s north.

A police officer said Tuesday that the 29-year old TV presenter, Ghazwan Anas was having his Iftar – the evening meal that breaks the dawn-to-dusk fast during the holy month of Ramadan – when the gunmen broke into the family’s home Monday night in the city of Mosul. His mother, wife and baby were wounded in the attack.
The Journalistic Freedoms Observatory said in a statement that Anis, from satellite channel Sama al-Mosul, was killed and that his four-month-old son was among family members who were wounded.

Police Second Lieutenant Khalaf al-Juburi confirmed the attack and the toll.

A health official confirmed the causalities. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Iraq regularly ranks near the bottom of global press freedom rankings. It placed 152nd out of 179 countries in media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders’ 2011-2012 World Press Freedom Index, down 22 from the year before.