THE HAGUE, Speakers at a press conference held today in The Hague urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh at the hands of Israeli soldiers while covering an Israeli army assault into the northern West Bank city of Jenin in May.
The press conference was held after the hand delivery of a legal complaint to the ICC Prosecutor by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS), and the Abu Akleh family on the killing of the Shireen Abu Aqleh and the shooting of Palestinian journalist Ali Samoudi.
Speakers included Nasser Abu Bakr, head of the PJS, Jimmy Boumleiha, representing the IFJ, Abu Akleh’s brother, Anton, lawyers from Bindmans LLP and Doughty Street Chambers, and the ICJP who were asked by the Abu Akleh family and other journalists who were affected by the shooting in May to submit this new complaint on their behalf.
The conference also heard from representatives from Forensic Architecture and Al-Haq who presented some of the findings from their criminal investigation into the murder of Abu Akleh.
The speakers called on the ICC to open an investigation into Israel’s killing of Abu Akleh in order for the culprits to be held accountable for their acts.
A previous communication was submitted in April to the ICC to open an investigation into the systematic targeting of Palestinian journalists, including Ahmad Abu Hussein, Yasser Murtaja, Moath Amarneh, and Nidal Shtayyeh, and the media in general by the Israeli army since all journalists represented in the two complaints wore clearly marked press jackets when they were targeted.
Today’s complaint represents, for the first time, a real opportunity to hold Israel accountable for targeting journalists and could lead to an official investigation by the ICC Prosecutor and possible legal cases filed against the perpetrators.
Source: Palestine News & Info Agency