BAGHDAD, Oct 30, 2010 (AFP) - Human Rights Watch called Saturday for a transparent probe into the death of a journalist who was killed after writing an article scathing of Iraqi Kurdish president Massud Barzani.
"Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government needs to ensure an independent and transparent enquiry into the killing of journalist Sardasht Osman in May 2010, that will lead to the identification and prosecution of all those responsible," the New York-based rights group said.
Osman, 22, was kidnapped on May 4 in the regional capital Arbil, and his corpse was found a day later in the restive northern city of Mosul with a single bullet to the head.
He had written articles critical of Barzani's rule, but an investigative committee formed by the Iraqi Kurdish leader said in September that Osman was killed because of his ties to a militant group.
"This secret investigation into Sardasht Osman's murder is exactly the opposite of what's needed," HRW's Joe Stork said in the statement.
"The Kurdistan government needs to get to the bottom of this killing with an open and independent inquiry that will include looking into allegations of government involvement," Stork said.
HRW said Osman's family and supporters had been threatened by government forces and Kurdish party members after speaking out against the findings of the official probe, which also was condemned by international rights groups and local Kurdish journalists.
In one of Osman's most critical articles, headlined "I love the daughter of Massud Barzani" and published in the Kurdistan Post, he used an imaginary dream to condemn the alleged corruption of Kurdish leaders.
"When I become the son-in-law of Barzani, the wedding night will be in Paris and we will visit the palace of our uncle for several days in the United States," he wrote, drawing a provocative contrast between Barzani's opulent lifestyle and that of ordinary Kurds.
The HRW statement quoted the dead journalist's brother as saying Osman had received multiple death threats by telephone and had feared for his life after writing the critical article.
"He thought he would be killed at any time by a gun with a silencer," it quoted Bashdar Osman as saying.
"The Osman case is the tip of the iceberg," Stork said.
"The Kurdistan Regional Government needs to support press freedom instead of trying to intimidate those who report the truth. An independent and credible investigation of the Osman case would be a start."
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