Algerian Radio
Mr. Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, condemned the "martyrdom of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil in a Zionist airstrike on the Al-Tiri area in southern Lebanon yesterday, Thursday." He emphasized that "the crime of targeting civilians and obstructing the arrival of aid constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law."
Dujarric explained during a press briefing that "following the strike, UNIFIL contributed to the coordination efforts to facilitate the access of the Lebanese Red Cross to provide support to the two injured journalists."
He announced that 'the Secretary-General reminds of the necessity to respect and protect civilians, including journalists, at all times, and calls for an immediate and impartial investigation into this crime. Targeting civilians and obstructing the arrival of aid constitutes a violation of International Humanitarian Law. He reaffirms the necessity of enabling journalists to perform their essential duties without any interference, harassment, or worse."
He highlighted that "after the Red Cross faced difficulty in accessing the site, UNIFIL forces intervened through the usual coordination procedures to enable the recovery of her body and the evacuation of her injured photojournalist colleague. I believe the Secretary-General was very clear in his condemnation of the killing of journalists."
Regarding the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) demand for an international investigation and whether the Secretary-General supports this, he said: "There are mechanisms that must be followed before resorting to that. As you know, the Secretary-General cannot organize international investigations alone without a mandate. However, organizations defending journalists' rights, including the CPJ and others like Reporters Without Borders (RSF), play an important role in ensuring that the killing of journalists does not go without follow-up or impunity."
