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The household of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh has submitted an official grievance to the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) to demand justice for her killing.
Abu Akleh, who was with Al Jazeera for 25 years and referred to as the “voice of Palestine”, was shot within the head and killed by Israeli forces on Could 11 whereas she was overlaying a military raid within the Jenin refugee camp within the occupied West Financial institution.
She was carrying a flak jacket and helmet that clearly recognized her as a member of press. Al Jazeera’s cameraman Ali al-Samoudi, who was standing close to her together with a gaggle of Palestinian journalists, was additionally shot within the again however recovered.
Talking in entrance of the Worldwide Felony Courtroom in The Hague on Tuesday, Abu Akleh’s brother Anton mentioned that they might do no matter was crucial to make sure accountability for her killing.
“Like we mentioned earlier than, and like different stories mentioned beforehand, there have been greater than 16 pictures fired in direction of Shireen and the media and her colleagues who had been standing in that ally,” Anton Abu Akleh mentioned. “They even focused the one that was attempting to drag her into security after she was shot down.”
He went on to say that the Israeli troopers had been capable of determine who Abu Akleh was.
“She was in full gear, and he or she was clearly famous as press,” he mentioned. “Any individual taking pictures on the press is deliberately attempting to kill them.”
In keeping with Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen, the ICC determined in 2021 that it has jurisdiction over violence and battle crimes which have occurred within the occupied Palestinian territories.
“That’s why there’s some hope right here by Palestinian journalists and the federal government that there will probably be a begin into the investigation right here into these instances, together with the case of Shireen Abu Akleh,” Vaessen mentioned, talking at The Hague within the Netherlands.
The grievance is supported by the Palestinian Press Syndicate and the Worldwide Federation of Journalists (JFJ).
Jim Boumhelha, the previous president of the IFJ, mentioned it was a “historic day” not only for Abu Akleh’s household, however for Palestinian journalists who’ve been on the receiving finish of assaults by Israeli forces.
“We do hope that folks contained in the prosecution will take very severely the doc that we’ve got given them,” he instructed Al Jazeera. “That is the primary stage, and we’re going via the motions.”
Boumhelha mentioned that pursuing justice for Palestinian journalists inside Israeli courts has by no means labored, as a result of lack of an trustworthy and credible due course of.
“Each single case that among the journalists took to Israeli courtroom got here to nothing,” he mentioned. “That is a world courtroom, which is within the arms of all of the nations and all of the folks on this planet.”
‘We’d like a US and ICC investigation’
Abu Akleh was additionally a United States citizen, however President Joe Biden – who has snubbed the household’s request for a face-to-face assembly twice – and his administration have refused to conduct an unbiased investigation.
“Plainly the explanation her case has not been a precedence for the US authorities is due to who she was and who she was killed by,” Anton Abu Akleh mentioned. “There isn’t a thriller concerning what occurred to Shireen aside from the precise identify and identification of her killer.”
Anton referred to the a number of investigations carried out by the United Nations, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, and main information shops which concluded that Abu Akleh was killed by an Israeli soldier.
“Israel can’t examine their very own crimes and it’s time for the worldwide neighborhood to take a stance and maintain these accountable accountable,” he mentioned. “We’d like a US and ICC investigation to carry Israel accountable.”
One of many Abu Akleh household’s attorneys, Jennifer Robinson, instructed the media that the ICC should finish Israel’s impunity.
“There’s been no unbiased investigation and this investigation and the prosecution of these chargeable for Shireen Abu Akleh’s demise will present deterrence for the concentrating on of journalists sooner or later,” she mentioned.
“The killing of journalists is an try to cowl up and forestall their work in documenting human rights abuse and fosters impunity for the injustices that they’re searching for to cowl.”
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