Russia asks Iraq to thoroughly probe its journalist's death

Moscow, May 8 (UNI) Russia today asked Iraq to thoroughly probe the death of its photojournalist Dmitry Chebotaev who was killed on Sunday while travelling in a vehicle with US troops on a road between Baghdad and Baqouba.

"We hope that the command of the multinational forces and the Iraqi authorities in charge of these issues will carry out a detailed investigation into the incident that resulted in the death of a Russian citizen," the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Kamynin said in a statement.

"We consider it necessary to confirm the Foreign Ministry's insistent recommendation that all Russian citizens should completely refrain from travel to Iraq until the military and political situation in the country is brought back to normal," Kamynin said.

According to UNESCO, Iraq remains the most dangerous state for journalists.

About 69 journalists were killed in Iraq, last year. Since the US military strike on Iraq in 2003, over 170 journalists have been killed and more than 50 abducted.

UNI