Hadi al-Mahdi

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Hadi al-Mahdi ( Arabic هادي المهدي, DMG Hādī al-Mahdī ; * 1965 or 1966 in Diwaniyya ; † September 8, 2011 in Baghdad ) was an Iraqi journalist, actor and radio presenter critical of the government who was found shot dead in his apartment on September 8, 2011. According to the Washington Post , he was the seventh reporter to be violently killed in Iraq in 2011. He was married and had three children.

Life

Hadi al-Mahdi attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad. Since it during the reign of the Baath party his play " Farewell, Old Strange World. ”, An adaptation of Machiavelli's “ The Prince ”, performed without permission and also submitted a false script, he was jailed for six months with seven others.

After graduating in 1989, he lived and worked first in Syria and then in Sweden , where he produced radio and television programs in Arabic until his return to Iraq in 2007.

Back in Iraq

A year after his return, al-Mahdi took over the moderation of the radio show " For everyone who listens " for Radio Demozy FM , in which he criticized the Iraqi government and politicians. Supporters of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki are said to have complained about the program several times, according to the Washington Post.

In 2010 he played Ziyad in the Iraqi drama Qarantina directed by Oday Rasheed .

Al-Mahdi took an active part in the Iraqi protests in the context of the Arab Spring . He said he was one of four journalists who were apprehended and tortured on February 26, 2011 after a demonstration that allegedly killed 13 people.

death

Al-Mahdi was found dead in his apartment on September 8, 2011, two bullets hit his head. In the previous days he had complained about anonymous persecutors who had claimed to be speaking on behalf of the government.

The Iraqi government commented on the death of Al-Mahdi as a "normal criminal case" in which the police are investigating. The Iraqi National Movement has called for a full investigation.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Annie Gowen: Hadi al-Mahdi, slain Iraqi journalist, had warned of threats. In: The Washington Post. September 9, 2011, accessed March 23, 2012 .
  2. ^ Steven Lee Myers: A Strident Political Voice on Iraq's Airwaves. Saturday profiles. In: The New York Times. May 14, 2010, accessed March 27, 2012 .
personal data
SURNAME Mahdi, Hadi al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES هادي المهدي (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Iraqi journalist, actor and radio host
DATE OF BIRTH 1965 or 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH Diwaniyya
DATE OF DEATH September 8, 2011
Place of death Baghdad