Al Jazeera lawyer: There is clearly an attempt to shut down al Jazeera and silence it
The USA expressed their opposition to the decision of the television network Al Jazeera, to submit for consideration to the International Criminal Court the case of the murder of its journalist Shirin Abu Aklehfor which he blames the Israeli army.
Hours after the Qatar-based television network submitted a request to the ICC to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the killing of a Palestinian-American journalist in May, the State Department announced it was rejecting the move.
“We oppose this case,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said. “We maintain our longstanding disagreements regarding the ICC’s investigation into Palestinian issues,” he added.
“The ICC should focus on its core mission (…) as the court of last resort to punish and prevent heinous crimes,” Price explained.
Already it Israel has voiced his opposition to al Jazeera’s move.
The TV network claims that the evidence it handed over to the ICC offers “new evidence (images and videos), clearly showing that Israeli occupation forces fired directly at Shireen Abu Akleh and her colleagues” on May 11.
“My family still does not know who fired the fatal shot“, he complained during a press conference yesterday from The Hague Lina Abu Aklehthe journalist’s niece.
The ICC prosecutor decides independently which cases to submit to the judges for consideration. After reviewing a case, the judges decide whether or not the prosecutor should start preliminary investigationwhich may be followed by a more in-depth investigation and possible charges.
The ICC launched an investigation in 2021 into possible war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories. Nevertheless Israel is not a member of the ICC and has announced that will not cooperate with any outside investigation into the journalist’s murder.
“No one will investigate our soldiers and no one will lecture us about war, especially Al Jaazeera“, the Israeli Prime Minister said yesterday Yair Lapid.
The day she was killed 51 year old journalist was covering the clashes that had erupted after an Israeli army raid on the Jenin camp, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups, where a special unit of the Israeli army was trying to arrest suspects.
Abu Akleh wore a bulletproof vest with the inscription “PRESS” and helmet. THE Palestinian Authority and al Jazeera immediately accused the Israeli military of killing her.
The data shows, according to the television network, that only Mr Israeli army. The journalists were “in full view” and walking slowly along an empty street.
The Israeli military admitted for the first time in September that there is a “strong possibility” the Abu Akleh to have been killed by a soldier, but certainly not on purpose.
“The claim by the Israeli authorities that Shirin was killed By mistake during the exchange of fire is completely unfounded,” al Jazeera reported, adding that Israeli forces “fired directly” at the journalists.
THE Rhodey Dixona lawyer for the television network, estimated that there is “an attempt to completely cover up” the circumstances of Abu Akleh’s death by Israel.
The murder of the journalist was preceded by “a systematic and large-scale campaign” by Israel against al JazeeraDixon said, referring to the destruction of the building housing the television network’s offices in Gaza during an Israeli bombardment in 2021.
“There is clearly an attempt to shut down al Jazeera and silence it“, he emphasized.
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