Samir al-Sheikh Ali

Al-Jamahir al-Baghdadiya

November 17, 2012, in Baghdad, Iraq

Unidentified armed men shot al- Sheikh Ali, the editor-in-chief of the Baghdad-based daily Al-Jamahir al-Baghdadiya, three times while he was driving to work, according to the local press freedom group, the Journalistic Freedom Observatory who interviewed staff from the newspaper.

The motive for his attack was not immediately clear. Al-Sheikh Ali, 61, was both a prominent journalist and an outspoken human rights activist, the journalism observatory said in its statement. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.