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Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: غيث عبدالأحد, born 1975) is an Iraqi
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
who began working after the U.S. invasion. Abdul-Ahad has written for ''
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'' and ''
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'' and published photographs in ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', ''The Guardian'', ''
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'' (London), and other media outlets. Besides reporting from his native
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, he has also reported from Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. Abdul-Ahad has received the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, the
James Cameron Memorial Trust Award Mark James Walter Cameron CBE (17 June 1911 – 26 January 1985) was a British journalist, in whose memory the annual James Cameron Memorial Lecture is given. Early life Cameron was born in Battersea, London, of Scottish parentage. His father, ...
, the
British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...
' Foreign Reporter of the Year and the Orwell Prize.


Background

Abdul-Ahad was born in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
,
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
in 1975. He studied architecture at Baghdad University and had never traveled outside Iraq prior to the
2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including ...
. 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
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and journalist, writing for the British ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' from 2004. In October 2005, he published his book ''Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq'' which features his photography along with that of
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, Thorne Anderson and
Rita Leistner Rita Leistner is a Canadian photographer and filmmaker. She is most noted for her 2021 documentary film '' Forest for the Trees'', for which she was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Cinematography in a Documentary at the 10th Canadian Scre ...
. In October 2010 Abdul-Ahad was imprisoned for five days by the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
fighters he had gone to interview. In late February 2011 Abdul-Ahad entered
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
to report on the
Libyan civil war Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
. He was detained on 2 March by the Libyan Army in the town of
Sabratha Sabratha ( ar, صبراتة, Ṣabrāta; also ''Sabratah'', ''Siburata''), in the Zawiya DistrictAndrei Netto of ''
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'' 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 (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and 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 flew to Tripoli. Abdul-Ahad's most recent work revolves around the Syrian Civil War focusing on the rebels and their stalemate between determined loyalists.


Awards

* Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, 2005 *
James Cameron Memorial Trust Award Mark James Walter Cameron CBE (17 June 1911 – 26 January 1985) was a British journalist, in whose memory the annual James Cameron Memorial Lecture is given. Early life Cameron was born in Battersea, London, of Scottish parentage. His father, ...
, 2007 *
British Press Awards The Press Awards, formerly the British Press Awards, is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. History Established in 1962 by '' The People'' and '' World's Press News'', the first award ceremony for the then-named ...
Foreign Reporter of the Year, 2008 * The Orwell Prize for Journalism, 2014 * News & Documentary Emmy Awards for Best Story in a News Magazine and Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a News Magazine, 2017


See also

* List of solved missing person cases


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdul-Ahad, Ghaith 1975 births 2010s missing person cases 21st-century Iraqi journalists British people of Iraqi descent Formerly missing people Living people People of the Iraq War University of Baghdad alumni Writers from Baghdad