The Association of European Journalists, together with other 18 international press freedom, human rights, and journalists’ organizations have jointly sent an open letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles.
The letter urges immediate and decisive actions to halt Israel’s “deliberate targeting” of journalists in and around Gaza.
It also calls for the establishment of safe, independent, and uncensored conditions for reporting on the conflict and demands swift, transparent, and independent investigations into the more than 80 journalist killings in the ongoing war.
You can find a link to the website of CPJ, which coordinated the letter, here.
The AEJ and other co-signatories of the letter strongly condemn the killing of at least 83 journalists and media workers — an unprecedented number — in the first ten weeks of the Israeli-Hamas since the attacks on 7 October.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), as of January 24:
- 83 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 76 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 3 Lebanese.
- 16 journalists were reported injured.
- 3 journalists were reported missing.
- 25 journalists were reported arrested.
The CPJ has compiled a list of journalists and media workers reported killed, missing, or injured here.
We, at AEJ Belgium, strongly advocate for the preservation of press freedom and the protection of journalists in conflict zones. We urge authorities to respect and uphold the rights of journalists, enabling them to provide accurate and unbiased coverage for the benefit of the global public’s understanding of the Israel-Gaza war.