A French reporter was stabbed Saturday last at a hotel in Iraq's northern Kurdish city of Irbil, police said. The reporter was hospitalised with minor injuries to her arm, according to Irbil police chief Brig Gen Abdul-Khaliq Talat.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the attack on Cécile Hennion, a reporter working for Le Monde. “This brazen attack shows how dangerous the situation is for journalists in Iraq,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “Foreign correspondents are vulnerable to attack and local journalists face constant danger.”
The Le Monde reporter has returned to France and is being treated for her injuries, according to the newspaper. Police have said that her attacker has been arrested the culprit and the case has been sent to court.
The reasons for the attack were unclear, the Associated Press (AP) reported quoting police sources. The manager and 10 members of the staff were arrested and the hotel was closed. No further details were released, including the reporter's employer.
Irbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, is among the safest and violence-free areas of the war-torn country.
