Reporter Ahmed Hassan, who works for Al Forat TV was shot in the head and in the shoulder while he sat in in his car in front of his house early on 10 May. A security cameras' video of the shooting was published on Al Forat's web site.
The shooting comes one day after the killing of prominent activist Jawad al-Wazni, who was shot dead on 9 May outside his home by unknown assailants. His death has sparked protests in the region.
Ahmed Hassan was transferred to the intensive care department of a hospital in Baghdad where he underwent emergency treatment for a head injury but his health remains critical, according to his employer.
Since the US led invasion in 2003, over 470 journalists and media workers have been killed in Iraq, according to IJS, many of them having been assassinated. There are no records of the Iraqi authorities bringing those responsible to justice.
The IFJ and the IJS have called on the authorities in Iraq to investigate the circumstances of the incident and bring the killers to court.
According to IFJ statistics, three journalists were killed in Iraq in 2020.