NEW YORK - Human Rights Watch paid tribute Monday to the courage of Marla Ruzicka, an American aid worker killed in Baghdad at the weekend when her vehicle was targeted by a suicide car bomber.
"Everyone who met Marla was struck by her incredible effervescence and commitment," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of the New York-based rights watchdog.
"She was courageous and relentless in pursuit of accurate information about civilians caught up in war and her desire to provide some compensation to relieve their suffering," Roth said.
"Her personal warmth and dedication made her a formidable advocate for her cause," he added.
Ruzicka, 28, was founder of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict (CIVIC) -- a non-governmental organisation that lobbies to get financial compensation for civilian casualties of war.
She was going toward Baghdad airport on Saturday when her car was hit by a suicide car bomb, which seemed aimed at a security convoy driving ahead of Ruzicka's vehicle.
Three others died in the bomb attack, including her Iraqi colleague, Faiz Ali Salim.
Ruzicka had worked extensively in Iraq and in Afghanistan to document the exact number of civilians killed or injured by US forces, and helped victims receive compensation from the US government.
"Marla's passion for her cause was obvious and infectious, but it was the accuracy of her data and the veracity of her information that made it possible for many others to rely on it," Roth said.
"She was an inspiration to us all," he added.
04/18/2005 20:20 GMT