Palestinian Journalists Forum: Ending Impunity and Holding the Occupation Accountable Is the Gateway to Protecting Journalists

The Palestinian Journalists Forum affirmed that ending impunity for crimes committed against Palestinian journalists and holding those responsible accountable are a fundamental gateway to achieving justice, protecting press freedom and safeguarding the truth, calling for serious international action to ensure independent and transparent investigations into violations against journalists, especially in the Gaza Strip.

In a press statement marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, observed on 2 November each year, the Forum said that protecting journalists and delivering justice to victims require practical international steps that end the policy of impunity and ensure those responsible for crimes and violations against media workers are prosecuted.

It explained that this occasion takes on exceptional importance in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, which since October 2023 has witnessed widespread targeting of journalists and media institutions, including killing, injury and arrest, the destruction of press offices, targeting of journalists’ families, as well as preventing international media from free and independent access to the Strip.

The Forum noted that the report of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, titled “The Truth Under the Rubble: Media in the Time of Genocide” and documented in UN document A/81/249, shed light on the violations endured by Palestinian journalists and the media environment, warning of the dangers of silencing witnesses and undermining efforts to document crimes.

It stressed that the continuation of violations without independent and transparent investigations and genuine accountability reinforces a culture of impunity and threatens press freedom and peoples’ right to know, affirming that journalists are protected under international humanitarian law and that any allegations against them do not justify targeting them, but require independent verification and adherence to due legal process.

The Forum demanded the opening of independent and effective international investigations into crimes committed against Palestinian journalists, the prosecution of those responsible, the release of arbitrarily detained journalists, disclosure of the fate of those forcibly disappeared, and ensuring the safety of detainees and their legal and humanitarian rights.

It also called for the immediate entry of journalists and international media into the Gaza Strip, an end to restrictions and violations that obstruct independent press coverage, alongside activating the role of the United Nations and international judicial mechanisms and cooperating with the International Criminal Court within its legal jurisdiction, to preserve evidence and achieve justice for victims.

The Palestinian Journalists Forum affirmed that ending impunity is not a favour from anyone, but a legal entitlement and a necessity for protecting the press and safeguarding the truth, stressing that international commitment to media freedom remains incomplete unless accompanied by practical measures that do justice to Palestinian journalists and hold those responsible for crimes against them accountable.