Statement related to the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
Geneva and The Hague, 13 May 2022
International-Lawyers.Org (INTLawyers.org) condemns the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli occupation forces.
Akleh, a much-admired journalist for her fearless and impartial journalism, was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet that clearly identified her as “Press” at the time she was shot dead on Wednesday, 11 May 2022. Akleh was reporting on an Israeli army raid on Jenin refugee camp in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. In addition to the death of Akleh, a further Al Jazeera journalist, producer Ali al-Samud, was wounded.
It has long been documented by human rights organizations and journalist association that especially Palestinian, but also other journalists working in the occupied Palestinian territories have been targeted by both the Israeli military as well as militant Palestinian forces. Amnesty International, which has been the latest organization to release a report regarding Israel’s regime of apartheid against Palestinians, has observed an “increase in unlawful killings” again civilians “including many children”.
The deliberate killing of journalists is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and an atrocious infringement on press freedom.
Journalists such as Ms. Akleh, as well as medical personnel, human rights activists and other civilians and other non-combatants must be protected, according in accordance with international humanitarian law, which includes the principle of distinction and other protective measures of the Geneva Conventions. This law prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians.
International Lawyers also notes how the deliberate and criminal targeting of civilians has not only become a routine practice of the Israeli military. There is rarely an independent investigation into the circumstances of these deliberate and illegal killings of civilians and other non-combatants. Other recent examples we have noted are two killings on 14 April 2022. The first killing was of human rights lawyer Muhammad Hassan Muhammad Assaf, who died after being shot in the chest in the occupied Palestinian city of Nablus; the other killing was 14-year old Qusai Hamamra, who was shot and killed in the occupied West Bank village of Husan, both by Israeli occupation forces.
International-Lawyers.Org calls upon the International Criminal Court to ensure that its current investigation of international crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem specifically includes the deliberate killing of civilians, such as Akleh, Assaf and Hamamra.
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Media contact: Attn: Dr. Jeff Handmaker, Member of International-Lawyers.Org, based in The Hague - intlawyers2010@gmail.com