Doha, Qatar: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and Al Jazeera Public Liberties and Human Rights Centre (PLHRC) at Al Jazeera Media Network have announced the organisation of an international conference on the protection of journalists in armed conflicts on October 8-9, with broad participation from international and regional organisations concerned with promoting press freedom and protecting journalists.
In this context, NHRC Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah emphasised that the conference on the protection of journalists in conflict zones comes in response to the deliberate targeting of media workers in many regions around the world, which requires human rights organizations worldwide to reject such intentional targeting.
She added that the assassination of journalists is an obliteration of the truth they convey to the world. It is not only a violation of the most fundamental human right, the right to life, but also an infringement on the rights of others to access information and the truth.
Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network H E Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al-Thani called on the international journalistic community and human rights defenders to unite in protecting journalists on the front lines.
He explained that Al Jazeera has lost many colleagues while covering conflicts. In the past two years, Israel has deliberately killed ten of its journalists in the Gaza Strip and injured five others, some seriously. Over 250 other journalists have been killed in the Gaza Strip solely for performing their professional duty of reporting the truth about the devastating war and its impact on innocent civilians, he said, urging the international community to take a firm stance against these systematic crimes and work to protect journalists, enabling them to carry out their work without fear of targeting or intimidation.
The conference also aims to mobilize various initiatives undertaken by stakeholders and decision-makers regarding the safety of journalists and media workers. It seeks to activate mechanisms for investigation, accountability, and the rule of law to confront those who kill journalists and perpetrators of crimes against them, particularly in the Gaza Strip. It also strives to strengthen efforts and foster solidarity to identify perpetrators, prevent their impunity, hold them accountable, and achieve justice while compensating and supporting victims of press freedom violations and their families.
