Four months after the tragic murder of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist from Al Jazeera TV, the reporter’s family filed a complaint about the crime with the International Criminal Court (ICC), known as The Hague Tribunal.
The journalist’s death was also the subject of a new independent report tying the authorship of the fatal shot against Shireen to an Israeli soldier who deliberately shot the journalist.
The investigation, carried out by the British Forensic Architecture group in partnership with the Palestinian human rights NGO Al-Haq, was added to the complaint filed by the journalist’s relatives to the ICC.
Palestinian journalist’s death may not go unpunished
According to UNESCO, 86 percent of the murders of journalists between 2006-2020 are unsolved.
A survey by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) revealed an even more gruesome cut: in the past decade, nearly eight out of ten murders of journalists around the world have gone unpunished.
But as the Arab television star’s family and international organizations continue to press Israeli authorities to investigate the crime, the Shireen Abu Akleh case should be a turning point.
TV reporter Al Jazeera died on May 11 after being shot in the head by Israeli army forces while covering an attack in the occupied West Bank.
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At a press conference in front of TIP in The Hague, Netherlands, Abu Akleh’s brother Anton said he will do whatever it takes to find a solution to his murder:
“As we have said before, and as other reports show, more than 16 shots were fired at Shireen and members of the press who were at the scene.
He was in full costume and was clearly described as ‘press’. Anyone who shoots at the press has the intent to kill.”
The journalist’s sister, Lina, is also tirelessly putting pressure on the authorities to take responsibility and participate in international events.
My family is at the International Criminal Court today to file a formal complaint urging the international community to investigate Israel’s murder of my aunt, Shireen Abu Akleh, and to ensure accountability and justice where others have failed. Our family statement is below ???? pic.twitter.com/uMWRCLR49d
— Lina Abu Akleh (@LinaAbuAkleh) September 20, 2022
The Palestinian journalist’s family’s complaint to The Hague Tribunal was supported by the Palestinian Press Association and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
In April, the IJF asked the ICC to launch an investigation into “the systematic persecution, mutilation and killing of journalists and destruction of media infrastructure in Palestine.”
“Shireen was killed a few days after the ICC prosecutor acknowledged receipt of the first complaint,” the Federation said.
The IJF explains that in February, The Hague Tribunal ruled that its criminal jurisdiction also covers the “situation in Palestine” and that its territorial scope covers allegations that occur in “Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
“This, for the first time, provides an opportunity for real accountability for Israel’s policy of allegedly attacking journalists and could lead to a formal investigation and possible prosecution by the ICC prosecutor.”
In this way, the organization believes that the country should be held responsible for violating international law for crimes against the press.
In late May, publisher Al Jazeera, with whom Shireen has worked for more than two decades, filed a complaint with the ICC about the journalist’s death.
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Another report blames Israel
Forensic Architecture’s joint report with Al-Haq, published the same week that the Palestinian journalist’s family filed a lawsuit in The Hague Court, concluded their investigation, pointing out that an Israeli soldier was responsible for deliberately shooting Shireen.
The Israeli government has acknowledged that the bullet that killed the reporter was probably fired by its soldiers, but denies the action was intentional.
The independent investigation was presented on video re-enactment of the crime.
From official accounts, unpublished footage provided by Al Jazeera, and interviews with witnesses, the groups concluded that at least 13 bullets were fired from an Israeli armored vehicle at a distance of about 200 meters from Shireen and her journalist colleagues.
Analysis of the trajectory of the bullets, four of which hit a tree next to Shireen, suggests the sniper “aimed carefully and accurately”, repeatedly targeting journalists in succession, the report said.
“All shots were over the shoulders and aimed at the kill,” he adds. The document also includes a reconfiguration of a soldier’s line of sight with riflescopes, showing that journalists’ vests with “press” on them will be visible.
Footage collected by the groups showed a civilian trying to help an Al Jazeera journalist after he was shot, shot every time the gunman came within sight – he suggested was preventing Israeli forces from providing first aid to Shireen. Access the full report here.
Other independent investigations were conducted by various organizations, including the UN, CNN, and the UN. New York Times.
A forensic analysis by the US government in July revealed that the 51-year-old reporter was killed by a bullet from Israeli forces, but said it was not possible to determine whether the shooting was intentional.
Media outlets, Palestinian authorities and the family of the Al Jazeera journalist questioned the US investigation.
“There is no mystery about what happened to Shireen other than the real name and identity of her killer,” Shireen’s brother Anton told Al Jazeera in The Hague this week.
“Israel cannot investigate its own crimes and it is time for the international community to take a stand and hold those responsible accountable,” he said.
“We need US and ICC investigation to hold Israel accountable.”
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source: Noticias
