Al Jazeera sues ICC for ‘brutal’ killing of journalist

A Qatar-based television channel has unearthed new evidence of the “brutal” death of a Palestinian-American who was shot while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank of Jenin on May 11. said he did.

Individuals or groups may lodge complaints with the ICC Prosecutor for investigation, but the Hague-based courts are not obliged to accept them.

Her niece Rina Abu Akure said at a press conference in The Hague, “My family still doesn’t know who fired that deadly bullet or who was in the chain of command that killed my aunt. not.

“The evidence is overwhelmingly clear. We expect the ICC to take action,” she said, adding that she had sought a meeting with prosecutor Karim Khan.

An AFP journalist saw the lawyer in charge of the Al Jazeera case enter the ICC headquarters and file a filing.

The ICC, established in 2002 as the last war crimes court, launched an investigation in Palestinian territory last year.

However, Israel is not a member of the ICC and challenges the court’s jurisdiction.

Israel has said it will not cooperate with any external investigation into Abu Akuley’s death.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement: “No one investigates IDF[Israeli Army]soldiers, no one lectures us on the morality of war, nor does Al Jazeera.” Stated.

The ICC prosecutor’s office confirmed it had been “contacted by the Al Jazeera media network” but did not comment on individual submissions.

“Any individual or group may send information about an alleged crime to the ICC prosecutor, who is obligated to protect the confidentiality of the information received,” his office said in a statement to AFP. .

The United States, which is not a party to the ICC, opposed Al Jazeera’s filing of a lawsuit in this court and reiterated its objection to any investigation involving Israel.

“The ICC should focus on its core mission, and that core mission is to act as a last resort to punish and deter atrocities,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

– “Complete Concealment” –

The veteran journalist, who was Christian, was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet that read “Press” when he was shot in the head at the Jenin refugee camp, a historic flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Israeli military admitted on September 5 that one of its soldiers likely shot Abu Akuley, mistaking him for a militant.

Al Jazeera said it had submitted new evidence and video footage showing that the Israeli army had “directly fired” at the journalist and his colleagues.

“Evidence indicates that this deliberate killing is part of a broader campaign to target and silence Al Jazeera,” the statement said.

New evidence shows that no shots were fired in the area, except by Israeli soldiers, and journalists were wearing “unique” press vests and walking slowly along empty roads “in full view”.

“The Israeli authorities’ claim that Shireen was accidentally killed in a shootout is completely baseless,” it added.

Al Jazeera attorney Rodney Dixon accused Israel of a “total cover-up”.

He said her killing was part of Israel’s “systematic and widespread campaign” against Al Jazeera, including last year’s bombing of a Gaza building housing Al Jazeera offices and a branch of the Associated Press. claimed to be

“There is a clear attempt to shut down and silence Al Jazeera,” Dixon said at a press conference.

“I hope that justice will be brought to Shireen.”

After receiving complaints from individuals or groups, the ICC Prosecutor independently decides which cases will be submitted to the Court Judges.

A judge decides whether to allow a preliminary investigation by a prosecutor. A formal investigation is then carried out and, if warranted, prosecution.

According to the ICC, in most cases such complaints do not lead to an investigation.