ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- The Chief Executive Officer of an Iraqi channel was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Baghdad on Tuesday.



A source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Rudaw that Nizar Dhanoun, CEO of al-Rasheed TV, was reportedly assassinated in the city’s al-Jamiya neighborhood at 7 AM by gunmen riding a motorcycle.

Security forces are in the area and have started their investigations into the homicide.

Channel director Ali Baban confirmed Dhanoun’s death to Rudaw on Tuesday.

Violence against media professionals has increased in Iraq since the start of protests, which erupted across central and southern Iraq at the beginning of October.



On January 10, Dijlah TV journalist Ahmed Abdul Samad and his cameraman Safaa al-Ghali were killed by unknown gunmen in Basra while covering the protests.



Iraqi government officials have also clashed with TV hosts over the demonstrations rocking the country.

Established in 2009. Al-Rasheed TV is owned by Saad Assim al-Janabi, who heads the Iraqi Republican Rally political party.



The channel has covered both the protests and the responses of the Iraqi government and party officials.



Janabi, however, has been very critical of the death of protesters and violence against them, demanding the government to investigate.

More than 600 protesters have been killed since protests began, and Iran-backed groups are believed to be behind the violence.

Al-Janabi has also accused parties, without naming them, of trying to sabotage the reform process to “prove their loyalty to Iran”.

In a clampdown on press freedom in Iraq, the Iraqi government’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) issued an order to suspend the operating licenses of nine television channels, including Dijlah, for their coverage of the protests.

Al-Rasheed and Rudaw were also warned over their coverage of the demonstrations.

In early October, masked gunmen attacked the offices of Kurdish media agency NRT in Baghdad, while news channel Al-Hadath released CCTV footage of the Baghdad office it shares with fellow Saudi outlet Al-Arabiya being ransacked by gunmen.