The killing of a prominent radio journalist in Baghdad highlights how Iraqi authorities are failing to protect media workers from continued threats and violence, Amnesty International said today.

Hadi al-Mahdi, 44, was shot twice in the head in his flat in the Karrada district of  Baghdad yesterday, ahead of a planned protest he was due to attend in the city’s Tahrir Square today.

Friends have said he had feared for his life after receiving a string of threats in recent weeks.

Philip Luther, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International, said:

“Journalists continue to pay a high price amid the ongoing violence in Iraq, and politically motivated attacks like this must no longer be tolerated.

“Iraqi authorities must roundly condemn Hadi al-Mahdi’s killing, carry out a full investigation to identify and bring his killers to justice, and ensure other journalists who face threats are given adequate protection if they request it.”

Al-Mahdi was an outspoken political critic, and his popular Radio Demozy show “To Whoever Listens” took on a wide range of issues. No-one across the political spectrum was spared his scrutiny, and his analysis was described as irreverent and witty, drawing on his theatrical background.

Officials in President Nuri al-Maliki’s government had reportedly complained to Radio Demozy about the show.

Al-Mahdi stopped broadcasting the show about two months ago, reportedly out of fear for his safety.

Earlier this week, al-Mahdi had been using social media sites to publicize a protest planned for 9 September in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, where he had been attending weekly protests in recent months.

Several hours before he was killed on the eve of the protest, al-Mahdi posted a note on Facebook saying he felt he was in danger:

“I have lived the last three days in a state of terror. There are some who call me and warn of raids and arrests of protesters. There is someone saying that the government will do this and that. There is someone with a fake name coming on to Facebook to threaten me.”

Earlier this year, al-Mahdi had told Amnesty International about how a group of at least 15 soldiers detained him and three other journalists on 25 February, after they had attended a pro-reform demonstration in Tahrir Square.

The four journalists were detained overnight for interrogation at the headquarters of the army’s 11th division, where al-Mahdi was beaten, given electric shocks and threatened with rape, before being released without charge.

In August, Iraq’s Parliament passed a new law on legal protections for journalists, who face ongoing politically motivated threats and attacks. However, the law does not provide for their physical protection.

Philip Luther, said:

“Al-Mahdi’s murder just a month after this new law was passed merely highlights this major loophole in the measure.

“Iraqi authorities must redouble their efforts to ensure journalists can carry out their work in safety.”