Ammar Al Shahbander

Ammar Al Shahbander, 41, was killed by a car bomb late on May 2 while walking down a street in central Baghdad. Ammar started working for IWPR in Iraq in 2005, and became Chief of Party in 2008 and Chief of Mission in 2009. He previously worked with the Iraq Foundation. He provided leadership for programmes including a new Iraqi Media Institute, print and radio production, and developing female Iraqi journalists. He also acted as a special advisor on media, outreach strategy and civil society issues to an Iraqi member of parliament and environment minister. Before joining IWPR, Ammar worked as civil society programme director for the Iraq Foundation. He opened the Foundation’s office in Baghdad, and developed and managed the organisation’s projects. Prior to that, he was responsible for the opinion pages of the Iraq Information Network. He covered the Middle East with a special focus on Iraq over many years. With a degree in sociology and international relations from the University of Westminster. Ammar spoke fluent Arabic, Persian, English and Swedish.