“A war crime”: UN experts condemn Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera’s Abu Aqleh

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- A panel of United Nations human rights experts have condemned Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shereen Abu Aqleh, saying it may constitute a “war crime.”

In a news release published on Friday, the UN’s Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) called for a thorough and independent investigation into Abu Aqleh’s death.

“Authorities have an obligation not to harm journalists and to protect them from harm under international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” the experts said according to the statement.

“The killing of Abu Akleh, who was clearly performing her duties as a journalist, may constitute a war crime.”

Despite wearing a helmet and a vest that clearly identified her as a journalist, Abu Aqleh was shot in the face by a single bullet fired by Israeli forces while she was covering an Israeli military raid into the Jenin refugee camp, earlier on Wednesday.

She was rushed to Ibn Sina hospital in critical condition and was announced dead soon afterwards.

Another journalist identified as Ali Asmoadi who works for the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper was also shot in the back by Israeli live bullet during the same raid and he is in a stable condition.

“We demand a prompt, independent, impartial, effective, thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh,” according to the statement.

“The killing of Abu Akleh is another serious attack on media freedom and freedom of expression, amid the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank.”

The UN experts noted that Abu Aqleh’s killing came as violence has been on the increase in the occupied West Bank and Gaza in recent years.

Last year, according to the statement, marked the highest number of Palestinians killed by the Israelis since 2014. It also came amid a high rate of attacks against Palestinian journalists.

At least 45 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since 2000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Information.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Union places the death toll higher at 55 killed.

“The role of journalists, especially in a context of heightened tension and marked by continuous abuses, like the occupied Palestinian territory, is critical,” the experts said.

“Lack of accountability gives carte blanche to continue the litany of extrajudicial executions. The safety of journalists is essential in guaranteeing the freedom of expression and media freedom.”

Abu Aqleh, 51, had joined Al Jazeera’s Arabic-language service in 1997 and rose to prominence covering the second Intifada, or uprising, in the early 2000s.