Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
Encyclopedia
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (born in Baghdad
, Iraq
, 1975) is an Iraq
i journalist
who began working after the U.S. invasion and has written for The Guardian
and Washington Post and published photographs in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times
, The Guardian
, The Times
(London), and other media outlets. Besides reporting from his native Iraq, Abdul-Ahad has also reported from Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Libya.
. As a deserter from Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army, he lived underground in Baghdad for six years, having to change his residence every few months in order to avoid detection and arrest. He began doing street photography in 2001 and was determined to document conditions in Baghdad during the war. This aroused suspicion, and he was arrested three days before the end of major combat operations, though he was able to escape by bribing his guards.
and journalist, writing for the British The Guardian
from 2004. Abdul-Ahad was one of the last journalists to work in insurgent-held Fallujah
before the American assault on that city in April 2004 and he continued to cover the front lines of both the Sunni and Shia insurgency movements. Additionally, he worked behind Mehdi Army front lines during the American assault on Najaf
in August 2004 (Abdul-Ahad et al., 2005). In September 2004, Abdul-Ahad was wounded by shrapnel to his head when a U.S. helicopter fired rockets into a crowd of civilians on Baghdad's Haifa street. Of the six people seeking shelter from the attack behind a concrete cube serving as a street kiosk, Abdul-Ahad was the sole survivor.
Abdul-Ahad has continued his work with the October 2005, release of the book Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq which features his photography along with that of Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson and Rita Leistner and documents the daily violence on the streets of Baghdad as well as the inside stories of Iraqi culture.
In 2005 he was shortlisted for the Gaby Rado
Memorial Award, a category of the Amnesty Media Awards which recognises a journalist who has been covering human rights journalism for less than five years. He won the award in 2007. In the 2008 British Press Awards
, he was the Foreign Reporter of the Year.
Abdul-Ahad has also reported from Somalia, Sudan, and Afghanistan. In October 2010 Abdul-Ahad was imprisoned for five days by the Taliban fighters he had gone to interview.
In late February 2011 Abdul-Ahad entered Libya
to report on the Libyan civil war
. He was detained on 2 March by the Libyan Army in the town of Sabratha
. His traveling companion, Andrei Netto of O Estado de S. Paulo
was released on 10 March, with Netto attributing his release to the good relationship between Brazil and Libya. On 13 March Amnesty International
and others called for Abdul-Ahad to be released; he was finally released on 16 March, after the Turkish government assisted negotiations and editor Alan Rusbridger
flew to Tripoli.
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, 1975) is an Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who began working after the U.S. invasion and has written for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and Washington Post and published photographs in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
(London), and other media outlets. Besides reporting from his native Iraq, Abdul-Ahad has also reported from Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan and Libya.
Background
Abdul-Ahad studied architecture at Baghdad University and had never traveled outside Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. As a deserter from Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army, he lived underground in Baghdad for six years, having to change his residence every few months in order to avoid detection and arrest. He began doing street photography in 2001 and was determined to document conditions in Baghdad during the war. This aroused suspicion, and he was arrested three days before the end of major combat operations, though he was able to escape by bribing his guards.
Career
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Abdul-Ahad became a freelance photographer for Getty ImagesGetty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
and journalist, writing for the British The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
from 2004. Abdul-Ahad was one of the last journalists to work in insurgent-held Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
before the American assault on that city in April 2004 and he continued to cover the front lines of both the Sunni and Shia insurgency movements. Additionally, he worked behind Mehdi Army front lines during the American assault on Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
in August 2004 (Abdul-Ahad et al., 2005). In September 2004, Abdul-Ahad was wounded by shrapnel to his head when a U.S. helicopter fired rockets into a crowd of civilians on Baghdad's Haifa street. Of the six people seeking shelter from the attack behind a concrete cube serving as a street kiosk, Abdul-Ahad was the sole survivor.
Abdul-Ahad has continued his work with the October 2005, release of the book Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq which features his photography along with that of Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson and Rita Leistner and documents the daily violence on the streets of Baghdad as well as the inside stories of Iraqi culture.
In 2005 he was shortlisted for the Gaby Rado
Gaby Rado
Gaby Rado was a British television journalist who died in Iraq during the 2003 invasion....
Memorial Award, a category of the Amnesty Media Awards which recognises a journalist who has been covering human rights journalism for less than five years. He won the award in 2007. In the 2008 British Press Awards
British Press Awards
The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
, he was the Foreign Reporter of the Year.
Abdul-Ahad has also reported from Somalia, Sudan, and Afghanistan. In October 2010 Abdul-Ahad was imprisoned for five days by the Taliban fighters he had gone to interview.
In late February 2011 Abdul-Ahad entered Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
to report on the Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
. He was detained on 2 March by the Libyan Army in the town of Sabratha
Sabratha
Sabratha, Sabratah or Siburata , in the Zawiya District in the northwestern corner of modern Libya, was the westernmost of the "three cities" of Tripolis. From 2001 to 2007 it was the capital of the former Sabratha wa Sorman District. It lies on the Mediterranean coast about west of Tripoli...
. His traveling companion, Andrei Netto of O Estado de S. Paulo
O Estado de S. Paulo
O Estado de S. Paulo is a daily newspaper published in the Metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil, and distributed mainly nationally. It is owned by Grupo Estado, a holding company which publishes the Jornal da Tarde and owns the radios Rádio Eldorado AM and FM and the Agência Estado, largest...
was released on 10 March, with Netto attributing his release to the good relationship between Brazil and Libya. On 13 March Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and others called for Abdul-Ahad to be released; he was finally released on 16 March, after the Turkish government assisted negotiations and editor Alan Rusbridger
Alan Rusbridger
Alan Charles Rusbridger is the editor of the British newspaper The Guardian. He has also been a reporter and a columnist.-Early life:...
flew to Tripoli.
Awards
- Martha Gellhorn Prize for JournalismMartha Gellhorn Prize for JournalismThe Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, named for the renowned war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn, was established in 1999 by the Martha Gellhorn Trust. It is founded on the following principles:...
, 2005 - James Cameron Memorial Trust Award, 2007
- Gaby Rado Award, Amnesty International UK Media AwardsAmnesty International UK Media AwardsThe Amnesty International Media Awards are a set of awards for human rights journalism awarded annually by the UK section of Amnesty International...
, 2007 - British Press AwardsBritish Press AwardsThe British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
Foreign Reporter of the YearBritish International Journalist of the Year awardThe International Journalist of the Year award is one of the honours given annually by the British Press Awards. The journalist to have won the award most often is Robert Fisk....
, 2008