19 March 2002
ITALIAN JOURNALIST KILLED; RSF URGES ADOPTION OF SAFETY CHARTER
The issue of journalists' safety in conflict zones grabbed international attention again last week, following the death of Italian photo-journalist Raffaele Ciriello and the reported targeting of other foreign journalists in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Ciriello, a freelance journalist for the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Serra," was killed on 13 March by machine-gun fire from an Israeli tank, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
He and two other journalists had been trailing a group of Palestinian gunmen near a refugee camp where fighting between Israelis and Palestinians was taking place, CPJ notes. IFJ says Ciriello is the third journalist and the first foreign journalist to be killed since the current Palestinian uprising began in September 2000. The other victims were Palestinian journalists Mohammad Bishawi and Othman Qatani, both killed on 31 July 2001 [See IFEX "Communiqu%26#233;" #10-31]. IFJ, CPJ and RSF are demanding a full inquiry into Ciriello's death, with IFJ and CPJ adding that the safety of journalists and respect for their rights should be made a global priority in conflict zones. ">http://communique.ifex.org/articles.cfm?system_id=3440">"Communiqué" #10-31]. IFJ, CPJ and RSF are demanding a full inquiry into Ciriello's death, with IFJ and CPJ adding that the safety of journalists and respect for their rights should be made a global priority in conflict zones.
In two other incidents that same day in Ramallah, a French journalist was wounded in the leg while an Egyptian journalist was reportedly shot at by Israeli troops while driving down a main street, report IFJ and CPJ. The Egyptian journalist, Tareq Abdel Jaber, was not seriously hurt in the incident. The incidents occurred a day after Israel Defence Forces (IDF) opened fire on a hotel where 40 foreign journalists were filming an IDF operation in the al-Amari refugee camp. The hotel overlooks the Palestinian refugee camp. CPJ, IFJ and RSF reported no injuries.
In the wake of these incidents, RSF has published a safety charter for journalists working in war zones and other dangerous areas, urging editors to adopt and observe its principles. The charter, drawn up by a range of organisations including the World Press Freedom Committee, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), aims to reduce the risks under which war reporters work.
The charter comprises eight principles, including urging the media not to force journalists to cover wars against their will and to offer psychological counseling if requested. The charter also calls for international legal protection for journalists and a commitment by media and public authorities to seek ways to assess and reduce the risks involved. RSF says 243 journalists have been killed in conflict areas since 1992; 72% of them were killed deliberately. In 2001, seven died in conflict areas. To view the charter, see www.rsf.org. ">http://www.rsf.org/rsf/uk/home.html">www.rsf.org.
CPJ has just published a detailed report documenting all of the press freedom violations in the Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority Territories since September 2000. To view it, visit www.cpj.org. ">http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2002/Israel_cases.html">www.cpj.org.
For more details, see www.ifj.org and www.rsf.org.
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