The Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman was killed by a drone assault whereas reporting on the bombing of a faculty in southern Gaza Strip.
The Al Jazeera Media Network says it’s going to refer the killing of its cameraman Samer Abudaqa in Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a press release on Saturday, the Qatar-based community mentioned it has instructed its authorized group to “urgently” refer the case of what it known as “the assassination” of Al Jazeera Arabic cameraman Samer Abudaqa to the court docket in The Hague.
Abudaqa was killed by a drone assault on Friday whereas reporting on an earlier bombing of a faculty used as a shelter for displaced folks in Khan Younis within the southern Gaza Strip.
“Al Jazeera Media Network reiterates its denunciation and condemnation of the assassination crime of its colleague, Samer Abudaqa, who devoted 19 years with the Network to covering the ongoing conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories,” mentioned the community’s assertion.
“In addition to the assassination of Abudaqa by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, the legal file will also encompass recurrent attacks on the Network’s crews working and operating in the occupied Palestinian territories and instances of incitement against them.”
Targeting journalists is a conflict crime below Article 8 of the Rome Statute.
The media community mentioned it has arrange a working group comprising its worldwide authorized group and worldwide authorized specialists to submit a file to the court docket’s prosecutor.
Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Wael Dahdouh – who misplaced his spouse, son, daughter and grandson in a earlier Israeli bombing – was wounded in the identical assault on Friday. He was hit by shrapnel on his higher arm and managed to succeed in the Nasser Hospital the place he was handled for minor accidents.
But rescue groups had been unable to right away attain Abudaqa and others on the website as they wanted approval from Israeli forces to bulldoze by means of the particles to get to the situation.
By the time rescuers arrived 5 hours after the assault, Abudaqa had bled to loss of life.
The 45-year-old was laid to relaxation in southern Gaza on Saturday, with dozens of mourners, together with journalists, paying their respects.
“We are carrying this human message, we are carrying this noble message,” Dahdouh mentioned in his eulogy as mourners round him wept. “We will continue to do our duty with professionalism and transparency.”
Al Jazeera had beforehand submitted a proper request to the ICC to research and prosecute these accountable for capturing a veteran tv reporter Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022 whereas masking an Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp within the occupied West Bank.
Evidence supplied within the request, filed in December 2022, features a complete six-month investigation by the community, gathering witness accounts and video footage, amongst different materials.
The ICC has acknowledged its receipt, but no additional steps have been taken.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the continued battle in Gaza is the deadliest for journalists ever recorded, with a minimum of 64 reporters and media employees killed in 10 weeks of the enclave’s bombing.
The CPJ has additionally known as on the worldwide authorities to “conduct an independent investigation into the attack to hold the perpetrators to account”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/16/al-jazeera-to-refer-journalist-samer-abudaqas-killing-to-icc?traffic_source=rss
