Iraq blogger, photographer, journalist Enzo Baldoni executed

Update here Italian freelance journalist and weblogger Enzo G. Baldoni has been executed in Iraq. Link to RSF report. His weblog, Bloghdad, included beautiful photographs and compelling narrative about the people of Iraq. The final post on this self-described pacifist's blog: an incredible image, shown at left. Link. Italian and Arabic-language media are reporting that he tried to defend himself from his captors just before they shot him. A spokesperson from Al-Jazeera, the TV network which has been criticized in the past for airing Iraq hostage execution footage, was quoted as saying that video stills released by his executioners were "too cruel" for broadcast. If any Italian-speaking BoingBoing readers care to translate this final 08-26 text post from a ghost-blogger at Bloghdad -- it's about Baldoni's kidnapping -- I'll post it in English on BoingBoing. I don't want to just dump this in Babelfish. Translation of the final text post on his blog follows, thanks to BB reader Gianluca of KZSU radio, Stanford:

With respect, we maintain silence.

When he left for Iraq, Enzo left us in charge of Bloghdad and of all the articles and images he'd send from there. When he disappeared we wondered what to do. We knew Enzo well enough to realize he would have wanted us to continue to report the news of what was happening, and so we did until the truth of what had really happened to him surfaced.

Now we know that even after the kidnapping, Enzo is doing well and everything is being done to resolve the situation. There's little more to say: the situation is at a delicate and important stage and we fear that anything new posted on Bloghdad, both in the posts or the comments, might hurt Enzo. Out of respect towards Enzo and his family we feel that the best thing to do know is to keep silent.

We wish to thank all the people that have helped, criticized and encouraged us. Posts and comments will open again only when Enzo himself will do it. We hope it's going to be soon.

What a sad thing, that the war continues to take so many beautiful souls like this man from the earth.
(Thanks, Jean-Luc)