More than 150 journalists killed in Palestine and Lebanon, says Press Emblem Campaign

Impunity remains the rule in Mexico, Pakistan and Russia

Geneva, 31 October 2024 (PEC) The record in the fight against impunity is particularly gloomy this year: the perpetrators of violence and murders committed against journalists over the past year have so far enjoyed total impunity, the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) deplored in Geneva.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, more than 150 journalists have been killed in Palestine and Lebanon as a result of Israeli reprisals for attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah. Palestinian media facilities and equipment were systematically destroyed.

No one responsible at any level, military or civilian, has been prosecuted. The matter has been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in particular following the murder of a Reuters employee in southern Lebanon, but Israel does not recognise the Court’s jurisdiction.

Last May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested international arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for several Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel since the start of hostilities unleashed by the Palestinian Islamist movement on 7 October.

But Israel reacted by claiming in September that the ICC lacked jurisdiction over the case. According to the Israeli government, the prosecutor did not respect the statutes of the Court and the principle of complementarity, in that he did not give Israel the opportunity to exercise its right to investigate the accusations made by the prosecutor before the latter submitted his request to the judges.

In the absence of ICC proceedings, independent investigations must be carried out. The Jerusalem authorities have banned foreign journalists from travelling to Gaza, in a bid to prevent credible testimony. Israeli journalists have been allowed in, but only under the supervision of the Israeli army. The PEC strongly condemns these practices.

This widespread impunity is very worrying, as it sends out the wrong signal. Elsewhere in the world, impunity remains the rule, as in Mexico, Pakistan and Russia.

The PEC once again urges the Israeli army to respect international humanitarian law, and in particular the distinction between civilians and combatants. Admittedly, this distinction is difficult to observe when combatants are hiding among civilians. Nevertheless, the media, clearly identified as such, are not taking part in the fighting and their freedom to inform must be fully respected, even if they belong to the opposing camp.

Source :PEC