Watchdog presses "Israelis" to come clean on killing of journalist in Gaza
Source: Daily Star, 13-06-2008
A major international media rights organization has urged 'Israel's' government to release the findings of an army investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana by an 'Israeli' tank shell in the Gaza Strip two months ago.
In a meeting with 'Israeli' Ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor on Wednesday, a delegation from the Committed to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also urged the government to commit to a thorough, impartial, and credible inquiry into the killing.
Shana, 24, died on April 16 when the 'Israeli' tank he was filming opened fire with a flechette round, which releases hundreds of metal darts. Designed for use against troop concentrations, flechettes have been targeted by human rights groups who say their use in residential areas amounts to a war crime.
Meeting with Meridor, the CPJ detailed its concerns about the case. Shana's sport utility vehicle and flak jacket bore the markings "Press," and there was no fighting in the area at the time, according to eyewitnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, which conducted a detailed investigation in April. The group reported that journalists who attempted to come to the scene were also fired on.
"It's difficult to understand that the soldiers ... could not have determined they were civilians," a CPJ statement quoted senior program coordinator Joel Campagna as having told the ambassador, who spoke with the group on condition that his comments not be publicized.
According to the CPJ, At least eight journalists have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2001, seven by 'Israeli' forces. Previous investigations have been marred by a lack of transparency and accountability.
Shana's death also occurred against the backdrop of what some foreign correspondents describe as an increasingly dismissive 'Israeli' attitude toward journalist safety.
A major international media rights organization has urged 'Israel's' government to release the findings of an army investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana by an 'Israeli' tank shell in the Gaza Strip two months ago.
In a meeting with 'Israeli' Ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor on Wednesday, a delegation from the Committed to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also urged the government to commit to a thorough, impartial, and credible inquiry into the killing.
Shana, 24, died on April 16 when the 'Israeli' tank he was filming opened fire with a flechette round, which releases hundreds of metal darts. Designed for use against troop concentrations, flechettes have been targeted by human rights groups who say their use in residential areas amounts to a war crime.
Meeting with Meridor, the CPJ detailed its concerns about the case. Shana's sport utility vehicle and flak jacket bore the markings "Press," and there was no fighting in the area at the time, according to eyewitnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch, which conducted a detailed investigation in April. The group reported that journalists who attempted to come to the scene were also fired on.
"It's difficult to understand that the soldiers ... could not have determined they were civilians," a CPJ statement quoted senior program coordinator Joel Campagna as having told the ambassador, who spoke with the group on condition that his comments not be publicized.
According to the CPJ, At least eight journalists have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2001, seven by 'Israeli' forces. Previous investigations have been marred by a lack of transparency and accountability.
Shana's death also occurred against the backdrop of what some foreign correspondents describe as an increasingly dismissive 'Israeli' attitude toward journalist safety.
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